Hold My Hand
by Tugiacat
Summary: A sequel to "Types of Movie." Amanda used her chance of having Milo joined her birthday party, and began to realize a true friendship - a fantasy weird bond to him since then. Meanwhile, Mr. Block was being unreasonable and wanted to harm the gang as a punishment for Cavendish and Dakota's time travel shenanigans from earlier.
1. What Should I Wear?

**Hi guys! The time has come! The first chapter of "Hold My Hand" has arrived to you! Don't get me started, this will be a kind of romance story focus on the leftover Milo and Amanda plot in the story before, "Types of Movie." So... to get a better experience, watch at least the last chapter of "Types of Movie" or two last chapters of it. Or the whole of it. :3**

 **Oh, and a part of this chapter is a songfic so: Milo – Bold, Amanda –** _ **Italic**_ **, underline for both and some normal backups.**

 **Let's begin quick! Oh, and you guys may not know this, but disclaimer, "I do not own Milo Murphy's Law."**

* * *

The day after the movie presentation day. And the day after the day after would be the party the gang had been waiting for. Milo Murphy, and his two best friends Melissa Chase and Zack Underwood, gathered at the Murphy house and had some fun discussion about what should they wear that day.

Usually when it comes to parties, they don't pay much care for it, because they have a Murphy as their friend, and a Murphy or his friends usually aren't invited for even a small group of classmates' studying groups or parties.

But Amanda was invited Milo directly, to go to her birthday party. She could've invited him to the school dance because he was an uninvited guest back then. And yet, in her most important birthday party, with her classmates, she had an urge to invite Milo and his friends to come. Now that's... different.

The gang was excited as the same as they had ever been. Joy couldn't describe how much meaning Amanda's invitation was.

"Guys, Amanda invited us to her birthday party!" Milo was overwhelmed, "That was awesome!"

"Yeah... but technically I didn't see her really want to invite you, Milo," Melissa pointed out.

"She's right." Zack referred to the orange-haired girl, who was sitting next to him, "You had helped her twice before, and this invitation will just going to pay for it."

"Come on, guys! You know Amanda. She's organized an likes order. She could've thrown us out but not. She justified all the things and made a righaway decision to"

"Yeah... that's where it's conflicted."

"Can you stop saying 'yeah...' each time you begin a sentence?" Zack frowned.

Milo took out a small box from earlier, "I think I should give her this, but it isn't valuable, as she said." His voice were getting a bit worrying, "Guys... should I?"

"Probably she didn't know that you would gave her this present, did she?" Zack replied.

"If she were really that kind of friendly to you, she would accept your present no matter how valuable it was. But why did you pick a pencil at the first place?" Melissa questioned.

"I spotted her break a pencil while noting the number of classmates. She got worried because she had no pencils left, but secretly hided it and no one knew except me." Milo chuckled, "I bought her this one so she would... at least have something to write."

"I think she can never reject your present when she knew all of this." Melissa assured the boy.

"But... you all are both so quiet. Amanda didn't want anyone to know she had lost her pencil. And you secretly bought her a pencil but didn't tell her you wanted to make up her loss until tomorrow." Zack pointed out.

"Oh look, you have a lookalike." Melissa commented, obviously referred to Milo. Since Milo had a crush on Amanda, it was kind of embarrassing when his friends joked about it.

"That's not funny." Milo restated, "I just like her because she likes organizes and order."

"I don't know, opposite attraction?" Zack commented.

"Is that even existed?" Melissa sarcastically asked, much to Zack's dismay, replied, "Duh, like positive and negative ions attracted each other."

"Enough!" Milo yelled "We're circling and now back to my question? Should I give Amanda this pencil or not? I need nod or shake from your head. Start!"

Both nodded and Milo had his decision, "Yes, then! Amanda would be delightful if she knew I give her the pencil she had broken."

While they were talking, an old sweater that Milo put it on top of the book shelf inside his room, caught sun light and got fired. Milo could sniff the smell of it.

When he got into his room he saw the fire burn almost the whole shelf, "Quickly! Get two buckets of water! Quickly!" He commanded his friends who were the curiousers behind him.

He covered the fire with a large fabric took out from his backpack, and Melissa and Zack came and splash water towards the fire. In no time, the fire had been put out. But the shelf was mostly turned into dust, except the sweater which was still weirdly intact, and a bit of fire marks on it.

"Yeah, let me just go and clean this up," The boy picked it up and went his way to the bathroom.

"Milo, wait!" Melissa stopped him as she asked, "Speaking of sweater, have you decided what to wear tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, huh?" Milo spreaded his spent time thinking through the air, "You... are right. I don't know what I should wear in her birthday party."

* * *

Meanwhile, Amanda was in her room, trying to find a perfect dress for her birthday party tomorrow. Because there would be lots of guests to come, most are classmates, some are relatives and cousins.

Each time she picked a dress from the closet, she looked at the mirror and saw if it matched her, "No..." She shook her head as she piled up plenty of her clothes onto the bed.

With Amanda, even a pile of clothes aren't a big mess. She stacks those nicely like a real organizer, and after she has done picking one suitable dress for her, she can put the pile to her closet a lot more easier.

"No..." She had said it 17 times... "And... no..." and 18.

"Nooo!" She yelled a bit louder, and lied down on her bed, sighed, "That was the last one! Why can't I find any dress suitable for me?"

While her mom was walking through the room, she heard a scream of desperation, asked, "What's wrong, dear?"

"Mom! I didn't find any of these dresses work out for me. What should I do?!" The mom spotted her anxiety

"Oh, is it?" The woman came closer to her daughter, and she hugged her in order to keep her calm, "Now take a deep breath and relax..."

They let go and Amanda did what her mom said, "Alright, I feel better. Thanks mom!"

"But still, I think you should check them again and see," Her mom advised.

"I think I can mom," The girl sighed again, "But all the dresses I have are in slightly pink or slightly red. I want to try something new!"

"Really? Is that what you want?" Her mom raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! Please mom," Amanda pleaded to her mother, "Tomorrow is my birthday anyway, so can you?" Her voice was sweet and polite. Not a kind of begging to death or sort of those. A beg that both sides respecting each other as best as they could.

Her mom sighed, smiled, "How could I say no to my beautiful daughter?"

"Yay, thank you so much, mom!"

"Here, take some money with you and go to the shop. I just give you this much for one dress, so make sure you find the best one!" The woman winked as Amanda nodded as she agreed.

"That alone is enough, mom! Thank you!"

* * *

Milo and his friends got downstairs, looked like they were about to go somewhere. Brigette caught them. The kids greeted her as she asked, "Where are you kids going?"

"We're going to the shop to pick a new outfit for me. We're going to attend Amanda's party tomorrow."

Brigette looked at them in awe, replied, "Are you invited for a party, Milo?" She rubbed Milo's hair, nodded "It's been a long time since the last time you were invited, and I know, you want to prepare. Who's having a party anyway?"

Sara was walking room to room, then she heard someone was talking. She hided behind the stair and eavesdropped the discussion.

"It's a girl. One of our classmates. She's having a party and wants to invite everyone in her class to come tomorrow." Milo explained more, "She's named Amanda. You know, the girl with pink jacket and pink flat-soled shoes?"

Sara gasped when she heard the name 'Amanda,' but it wasn't loud enough for Milo to hear. _Is that woman I met telling the truth?_

"Oh, she was standing next to us at your birthday party, right? That's so sweet of her. Anyway, I got a bit of money. You can use it if you want-" Brigette was about to take it out, but then interrupted by Milo.

"No need, mom! We have enough money for one tuxedo that fits me. I'm gonna just find the best one for me and done!"

"That's fine though. Come back early!" – "We will!"

As they were about to walk through the door, Zack's foot was stuck in the table while he was standing next to it, and tripped over at one of the table's corner, fell down as he groaned in pain. And more ridiculously, the small force made one of the supporters of it broke, and the table fell on one side.

Melissa ran to the boy who was groaning in real pain, "Zack! Zack, are you okay?"

He replied, "My foot is hurt!" Oh no.

"You broke a leg!" Brigette gasped, "I mean, literally! You can't move your foot right now!"

"That's not funny, though," Melissa was being sarcastic at her. She spotted the woman was joking.

"Okay, sorry. Let's get him to Milo's room. Melissa, you stay here and help me!"

The girl nodded, "Got it!" She then turned to Milo, "Milo? I'm sorry but you have to go alone this time. We'll help Zack recover his ankle."

"That's okay," Milo assured her, "But will it be fine if I don't stay with Zack and take care of him?"

Zack then advised him from his position, "Don't worry, Milo! Just go! We will be _totally_ fine if you're not around."

Milo giggled to his friend's joke, and walked off, waved his hand "As you wish! See you later!"

The gang waved him back as Melissa and Brigette carried Zack to Milo's room.

Sara from behind the staircase, went out after she heard quietness, spoke to herself, "Oh... so the rumor is true. I'm going to spy my brother during 'his girl''s birthday."

She walked back to her room, in a sign of preparing for her plan.

* * *

At the Time Bureau, Mr. Block was enjoying his coffee breakfast in his office, though in his expression, 'enjoying' was a bit too much, "Arggh!"

He yelled as he threw the coffee cup away, angrily spoke, "Where is Cooperdink and Hampshire? How is the last mission I gave to them? They should be here by now!"

From the door of his office, an automatic doorbell rang, meaning someone was outside, "Come in!"

It was revealed to be Gretchen. Instead of her dull experssion daily, she seemed to show anxiety, like something weird was happening, "Sir! Sir! I have spotted an unusual activity in the time stream."

Mr. Block raised an eyebrow, "Really? What is it?"

"Well, according to my observation this morning, a vehicle from Cavendish and Dakota was the source of this phenomenon. The timeline was reset unauthorizedly, by a temporal transporter."

"Yes...?" From angry, his expression turned to be more demanding as well.

"And they seem to make multiple versions of themselves as well."

"WHAT?!" The man yelled loudly.

"And... they seem to have inevitable guests inside their vehicle as well."

A big television came down in Block's view. Gretchen revealed a tape which was recorded inside Cavendish and Dakota's vehicle. She then zoomed the image to the position of the 'unknown' guests, "Here they are, sir!"

"Who are they?!" Block asked, when he saw a blond-haired girl and a black boy with yellow shirt. "And what is the connection between them and those two imbeciles"

"Well, according to the data I have, they and the time travellers know each other due to a kid named 'Milo Murphy.'"

Dun dun dun! "Milo Murphy? Isn't that the boy with the backpack whom Brick and Savannah have mentioned earlier?"

"Yes, that's him!"

After the report, Block began his speech, "Cavendish and Dakota... it looks like those two have gone too far! Gretchen, hear my order! I want you to find that kid Milo Murphy and bring him back here."

"But sir, he wasn't related to this. Do you feel necessary to bring a kid from the past back here?" Gretchen explained.

"Well, if Cavendish and Dakota absented the meeting this morning, then I would have to choose to bring that kid here and ask him some questions. Is that clear?!"

"Yes, sir!" Gretchen obeyed as she did to his order, walked out from his office. Block then came back to his seat and talked to himself, "If you didn't show up for today, then you wouldn't be punished by me. But I would punish the one you love most!"

"Just you wait, Milo Murphy!"

And his day couldn't get any worse, until he received a call from somebody, "Yes..." His face seemed to be delightful after heard it, "Shiela?... You mean it?... You're kidding, right?... You're not kidding?... Alright, alright. Let me suit up and get prepared!... Love ya bye!" He put down his phone as he was humming an upbeat tune and got to his room to dress up.

"And I couldn't be happier today!"

* * *

Amanda was biking and in no time, she reached in front of the shop, "Well, this is it, Amanda," She spoke to herself, "Let's get dressed up and prepare to meet my friends." She then walked inside.

She didn't notice that behind her, Milo biked to the place. If his friends had been there, he could have been taking a walk with them. But Zack was hurt at his house, so... no other choice left. He released a long sigh, "Well, this is it, Milo," And he spoke to himself as well, "I'm gonna find the best tuxedo for Amanda's birthday party tomorrow. This is gonna be fun." He walked inside and humming a delightful tone.

They were walking around for a couple of minutes to find a perfect match for them. And in some in-between spaces, they could have seen each other, but not, or at least it was interrupted by someone walking through.

"No..." Amanda shook her head and moved on to the one next to it.

"Uh-um." Milo shook his head, "This one is cute, but doesn't fit me enough."

Montage time, along with a musical number coming...

 _What kind of dresses should I wearing out?_

 **A small tuxedo or a short-sleeved shirt?**

 _The dress I wear that is working out_

 **If it does fit, should I give a smirk?**

(What should I wear?)

 _The dress that comes a bit higher my knees?_

(What should I wear?)

 **Along a fedora that's in the sales of free?**

(What should I wear?)

 _Something to fit my personality_

(What should I wear?)

 **A perfect outfits is eluding me!**

 _My mom told me that it would be okay._

 **But I have to make a choice today.**

 **And I don't know if tomorrow she liked me okaaay?**

(What should I wear?)

 _Is it okay if I add a toupee?_

(What should I wear?)

 _I don't know, but I'll figure it out._

(What should I wear?)

 **I know this thing may sound a bit cliché.**

(What should I wear?)

 **But I don't know what I should wear for her birthday.**

" **Because she invited me."**

What should I wear?

After an hour walking around the store, Amanda herself got tired. She could think of lying down the floor because she wanted to. But still, she still had to pick a dress before sunset.

Fortunately for her, something had caught in her eyes. She came closer to see, and lucky had come. It was a nicely magenta dress, not too dark, but still not too much creamy pink. It's a magenta dress with ribbons for shoulders, and a long soft red belt with rose on it. And the details on the rear end were caught her eyes as well.

"This looks... good," She could smile a bit, and she grabbed it to the changing room next to it, "I'm gonna try this for a while." Then the girl went inside the room.

Next to the girl's changing room is the boy's one. And next to it, Milo was walking through. He didn't know if he picked the right tuxedo for him. Murphy's Law didn't occur today, and that was a bit luck, since he didn't have to pay more. But looking for a suitable clothes was harder than he thought.

But while he was checking, something caught his eyes. He turned his head 90 degrees, and saw a set of man clothes next to him. The set had a black short-sleeved tuxedo with a white shirt for inside. The set also came with an elite fedora.

"Hmm..." He took a deep look at it. Spotted the changing room next to it, he made a decision, "Well, guess I better try these." He stepped in and made a change.

After a few minutes, Amanda took a look at herself in the mirror in that dress. She looked... gorgeous, "I'm so... pretty." She complimented herself, "The details on this are sparkling whenever I shake the dress. And it doesn't make me a hotter anyway." And another few minutes to change back to her casual clothes and went out to the room.

Milo was trying on his new look. He didn't have approriate pants, which made him a bit ridiculous. But he would have it later at home. Anyway, the new look of Milo was totally new. He put on a tuxedo with white shirt... and came along a small light-blue tie with a fedora, made him a total nerd of Mexican romance guy, "And this would pull off surprise for Amanda." He got a few seconds to put it out and brought it to the accoutant.

And their shopping was done. Amanda was the one getting out first. It was sunset already and Amanda carried her bag to the bike before she was biking to him again. But before that, she evetually saw a person. A surprise appearance, that she questioned in her head, _"Was he going shopping just as I did?"_

Milo spotted her, and said hi to her from the entrance of the mall, "Hi Amanda!"

"Hi Milo!" The girl smiled.

"Were you going shopping as well?" He asked.

"And it's revealed that you were doing the same."

Milo laughed as he heard her, "That's funny. Anyway, see you tomorrow. You're gonna love my new look," He winked.

She grabbed her bag to his view, said "And I got a new dress today. You definitely gonna like mine from a first look."

"I will." Milo then biked to his home. He turned his head and waved goodbye, as Amanda waved back and then had a bike to her home as well. How would tomorrow turn out? Either of them knew, but they knew they would shine like a central attention of the party.

They were biking to their respective houses, with expectations of seeing each other again in a nice fancy clothes, and maybe, have a dance again?

* * *

 **And that, my friends, is the first chapter for this story. Milo and Amanda were so much fun to write here, and they have opposite personalities and... that's what I like about them.**

 **Is this chapter good? Just want to start with a fun chapter, and hope you guys like it just fine. But that doesn't mean I don't receive critics. You can add it to your reviews, if this story has been bad writing at somewhere.**

 **And one more thing before I go. Can anyone guess what song does the song in this chapter take from? Pretty easy, don't you think? ;)**


	2. Dreamed About Each Other

Sunset was almost changing to night. Milo had managed to get home with an approriate look inside his bag. The gang was standing in front of the house. Melissa was standing there and looked impressed while Zack, carrying his crutches, still pulled out a smile to his friend's accomplishment.

"Milo, you did it! I'm so happy for you." Melissa cheered.

"Thanks a lot, Melissa. It took an hour for me to find it, but it was totally worth it. You guys will be surprised."

Zack nodded, "We will. And we will see you tomorrow."

"Zack's right. It's pretty late right now, we should say goodbye from here."

"Yep." Milo then asked, "But Zack, how are you gonna get home? Your legs are broken and I don't know if you could come tomorrow..."

"Uh... well..." Zack was sheepishly to reveal, when someone came. It was his father, who was riding a bike attached a small cart behind it, fit enough for a teenage boy to sit.

Melissa couldn't stop laughing while Milo resisted himself from doing it.

"It's not funny. It's the only option!" Zack said.

"You bet kids! This is hilarious." Marcus joined his son's friends.

"Dad! Don't tell me you're joining them! It's not hilarious!"

"Your fine for careless. Now sit in, and I'll ride you home."

"Alright..." Zack moaned as he unsastifiedly obeyed. He didn't forget to goodbye his friends before being carried away by his dad.

"Well, I should bike to my house as well. I don't want my father to worry again." Melissa said to Milo.

"You're nice, Melissa." She biked away from Milo, as he waved goodbye to her, shouted, "See you tomorrow!"

...

On the other side, Amanda was managed to get back to her house as well. Her mom was happy that her daugther had finally picked the right dress, "I'm so glad, Amanda. You will be great tomorrow."

"I will, mom!" She got more confidence than ever.

"And don't forget to attract a boy for me." Her mom winked, while Amanda was blushing and didn't sastify to that joke, "Mom! Is it too soon for me to have a target?"

"Whenever you want, sweetie. Anyway, you bring this to your closet while I'm cooking."

"Okay, mom!"

...

After the gang had dinner, they went to bed right away. The birthday party would be held in the day after's afternoon, but they also needed to have as much energy as they could. No doubt, the party was going to be exciting.

Milo stepped into his room, with a happy smile on his face. He kept his calm as usual, but as the same time, he was so excited that himself couldn't stop from dancing and humming to an upbeat melody.

He couldn't forget the talk he had with Amanda earlier. He got himself new outfits and so did she. It was a great moment, which he didn't want to get started again. And he would never forget the moment he was invited earlier. It proved that Amanda did care for his effort. What was he thiking again. He thought himself that he just needed Amanda to have fun, and he could feel the peace.

Milo sat on the bed, and took a look at the set of clothes he just bought. Imagined, the day later, he would be wearing that tuxedos on, with a large fedora. He would be delightful as he would ever be, since it was a party he was invited after all. He could make a good impression to her, though on the outside, this look was kinda ridiculous and nerdy.

Diogee went to his room, and as usual, they hugged as Diogee licked Milo's face, before he wished the dog good night. The lights went off as they both already had a sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, a flying cam was recording him from the window. Its metal had a mark stand for "Time Bureau."

...

From the security room inside the Time Bureau, Gretchen and Mr. Block could see him from the camera's view. It was lunch time at their place, so they didn't even care whether the boy was sleeping.

"Sir, we have a closer look to him." Gretchen spoke, as Mr. Block stood behind her, "And we have the coordinations of his house as well."

"Good! Let us prepare a team of soldiers as we go trailing for that kid Milo Murphy. I'm gonna make him suffer until I could make Cavendish and Dakota come by themselves."

"Yes, sir!" The woman walked off, as the two crazy minds began the next step of their plans.

...

Amanda also had done her dinner. And as early as she could, she went to her room right away. That day was exhausted when she had to find ton of dresses that suited her. And if weren't for that beautiful dress she caught her eyes on, she would miss the whole dinner only to find nothing.

She stepped in and as her birthday was going to be held tomorrow, she was the most happiest person ever. There would be guests come over. Lots of her classmates were going to wish her a happy birthday, as a refreshment to the whole time she had been driving the whole class crazily organized.

But above all, she expected for Milo. Sure, Milo could be a disaster for her most of the times. He ruined my enjoyment schedules, and ruined the school dance she took time to organize. But he didn't mean to do it. In fact, he had repaired it all more beautiful than she could ever imagine. Amanda couldn't thank him enough for it.

Though he had done his best making her comfortable, and she was equally going with it: that Sunday would be her birthday. She should invite the boy and maybe, let him at least have a party he deserved. And she didn't worry one bit about Murphy's Law anymore. Sure, it could get her whole party mess up, but if she was fine in the last two times, she would be fine in this one too.

Beneath her bed, she put the bag with the dress she bought earlier. Imagine, tomorrow, Milo would be so ashtonished as soon as he saw a new look of her. He would be speechless, yet totally impress to her dress, the details on it. While others had her birthday party, Milo would have her personally that night. There would be a free ball tomorrow, and they would dance to the beat. She would put perfection and Milo would put ease, just stay there and say 'Just calm and roll with it.'

She couldn't stop thinking about her tomorrow. She sighed and smiled before went to sleep right away.

It was a rare occasion that Amanda forgot to turn off the lights. Her mom noticed that, shook her head, "This girl..." She whispered as she did her daughter's mission.

Nap time, everyone...

...

A fancy night outside Danville. When most of the guests at the party were about to leave, Milo and Amanda walked to the front yard of her house.

"Thanks for inviting me Amanda." He gave a thank and then looked at his bike, which was smashed by an asteroid and luckily, nobody was hurt, "And I guess I can walk to home."

"Milo, wait." She stopped the boy as she requested, "How about I'm riding you home by my bike? Is that good?"

"Amanda... it's your birthday today. I appreciate your help but-"

"I invited you, Milo. So it's my duty to make my guest feel as comfortable as possible after he enjoyed my party, right?" She winked to him, and Milo turned from deny to agree, nodded.

"If you wish..." Milo sighed in defeat.

"How about _I'm_ riding you by your bike instead?"

Amanda smiled, "Sure! You can totally do that."

As soon as their conversation over, Milo biked Amanda to his house. Her bike was purple with a back seat, which was a bit of rare for a student's bike in Danville, in order to carry two people.

Milo was calmly biking the girl to his house, as Amanda felt comfortable to let him do it, while watching the beautiful night on the streets. The atmosphere was peaceful, and cool breezes blew in her hair. The boy could feel Amanda held his waist tightly, and didn't want to let go.

It was quiet though. There wasn't any talking during the way home. They would prefer a more Murphy adventure during their way home? But no, the path was clearly opened with no crack on it "at all"! The sky was weirdly calm that day. And the two seemed didn't care much about it.

In no time, they had reached in front of the Murphy house. It was like 8 P.M. back there.

"I'm really grateful for your help, Amanda." Milo thanked her, and her face turned totamato-blushed, replied, "It was nothing."

"But... aren't your parents be worried that you're gone?" Milo asked worriedly, which Amanda replied again, "Don't worry! They won't miss me when I'm gone for like 10 minutes."

"And thank you for giving me a pencil." Amanda thanked him, as she grabbed Milo's hands closer to her, "I couldn't be happier to have a pencil back."

Spotted Amanda's act then, he kinda let go one hand from hers, "Um... you're welcome I guess." He didn't want to refuse Amanda holding his hand, so he wanted to show a sign of it and excused, "It's pretty late. You should go home before your parents know they didn't see you-"

Immidiately, Amanda interrupted him. Saw his act of breaking their moment, Amanda then pulled him back even closer to her. She then let go and rounded her arms around his neck. There was nearly no gap between their faces, as they could feel their noses touch each other.

Milo faced turned deepen red, didn't know what was happening. Not really shock, but just surprised to what happened, "Amanda... um... what are you doing?"

She giggled, replied, "Well, have you ever been like this?" She pulled his head by hands, closer to her, as she touched her lips to his, and started kissing.

She rounded her arms to his neck again to enjoy it. Milo didn't know how to react, but soon he began to react by placing his arms around her as well, as both had closed their eyes and started to feel the passion to the kiss. Milo's cheeks were still red-burned, but Amanda was really goot at doing it slowly, so he could get used to it.

The kiss lasted for a minute, as both let go and faced each other again, "So, how was it, Milo?" Amanda asked

As soon as Milo was about to answer, the ground started shaking as Milo fell down it, screaming.

He gasped loud and turned back to reality.

Milo looked at the clock on the wall, it was 2:15 A.M., early in the morning.

He spoke to himself, "What the hell was that dream about?"

Surprised, but for a while, he then smiled, "But whatever it is, it was pretty... sweet I guess?"

He put a smile before went to sleep again.

...

At the party, Amanda couldn't find Milo anywhere. It was half past six in the afternoon, and the ball she had prepared was going to occur soon enough, "Oh, Milo... where could you go...?"

And then for a moment, she heard beeping sound from the asteroid warning system, which Milo had installed for her. She was surprised as she got outside to see. It was an asteroid which was coming to her.

"Oh... you're not gonna defeat me." Amanda said confidently, as she had prepared for this kind of situation. She started a machine which used a large piece of steel to cover her house.

And fortunately for her, it did stop the force of nature. But the asteroid then falling off and moved its way to smash a bike in front of it.

"Oh no, Milo's bike!" She quickly recognized it. It was a yellow one.

Everyone went from backyard to front yard, curious to see what had happened. Including Milo, who was getting closer to his bike, "Oh no..." Amanda, sat next to him, could hear him sniff and have his tears. She felt so sorry for him and couldn't calm herself as well.

But that's where Milo calmed her down and pulled out a smile, "Don't worry, Amanda. Murphy's Law has always been like that. I can buy another one. It's not a big deal."

At least Milo wasn't sad anymore, and she felt happy for him, "You're right."

Then Amanda's dad – the manager of her ball announced, _"Alright, kids! It's ball time, outdoors! Grab a partner as we turn on music and you guys move slowly to the beat."_

Discussing noise was heard as most of the cases, a boy asked a girl to dance with him, or it could be vice versa, like Melissa asked Zack, and he didn't really want to do it, but she kept him doing so. That was funny as they grinned at it.

Amanda didn't notice, that Milo from behind, asked her, "Amanda," He held out a hand, politely, "Wanna dance?"

She smiled back to him and nodded, "I thought you'd never ask."

Soon after they went to the backyard, which was nicely decorated with lights from the disco ball, and some spotlights, so the room wasn't left too dark.

They nodded before got started by holding each other's hands while moving gently back and forward to the beat. Sometimes they let go and looked at each other, having the same dance. Sometimes Milo spinned Amanda and ended up holding her waist.

The parents were looking at her daughter. They were impressed, yet curious to know who the boy she was dancing with was. From what they knew, he was the guy who was infamous for bringing bad luck to everyone.

The ball she planned longed half an hour, and everyone was over with it. Including Milo and Amanda, they were having a good time enjoying each other.

"Kids, what a good show!" Amanda's father came to the two.

"Now, my boy, we haven't never seen Amanda introduced you. Can you?" Her mom asked.

"Oh, I'm Milo. Milo Murphy. Nice to meet you!" Milo bowed to them, as the parents nodded, "Yep, this is a good boy. He really fits for you, Amanda."

Saw the shippers of theirs, Milo's face turned red while Amanda was surprised, "Me and Milo?!"

A gasp then heard, as Amanda woke up and came back to the reality.

"Whoa... what was that?" She asked herself after seeing that dream. She turned to the clock, which was showing 2:15 A.M., early in the morning.

She realized where she was then, the party hadn't occured yet. She smiled, "Whatever it is, it sure was sweet," then she went to bed again.

...

And the Sunday morning had come. Milo was going out with his friends at 10 o'clock. Melissa and Zack were about to buy a gift for Amanda as well.

"So, what kind of gifts will you guys buy for Amanda today?" Milo excitedly asked.

"Not sure for ourselves." Melissa responded, "I don't know what a perfection girl can sastify."

"And you said you understood most girls." Zack being sarcastic, and the result was Melissa punched his arm.

"Well, just buy her a cologne or a nice shirt. I'm sure she will be very happy." Milo said it confidently, "I saw her watch is pretty old, so you guys should buy a new one for her."

"How can you sure? Except if you're being too closed to Amanda," Melissa teased him, and Zack followed, "Yeah Milo, was that all about?"

Milo was blushed a bit, but then replied, "Guys! I'm just caring for her, that's all."

He didn't see the comedy of his friends' joke, and then fought back with a smirk, "You guys should be grateful that I'm going to be the one who request what present you should buy for Amanda, got it?!"

Melissa and Zack spotted his demanding voice, nodded like a terrified four-year-old kid, "That's more like it!" Milo said.

Melissa opened up, "So, a handwatch, I guess?"

...

The Lopez house had worn a total different look in the day Amanda stepped to a new age. There was balloons and a 'Happy Birthday Amanda!' sign on and above the door. There were also balloons inside of the house as well, and those were perfectly put.

"One, two, three..." Amanda was counting them, "Right! Each room should have three balloons, not much or more, so the whole house won't be a mess."

After she had done organizing the house, her mom came to her and impressed to her new look, "Oh my gosh, Amanda! You're so beautiful."

She was wearing the dress she bought yesterday, It was really in harmony to her. Amanda smiled, "Thanks, mom!"

"Well, I've got things to do. In the meantime, you can just wandering from room to room while enjoying your day, okay?" The mom said as she walked away from Amanda

Amanda wasn't comfortable with her mom's sentence, "Mom! I'm helping, not wandering."

"Hey Amanda!" She then heard someone dropped by to her place, turned around and called the person's name.

"Lydia!"

"Yep, one and only!" She still in her normal dress as usual, since the party hadn't occured yet, "You're the prettiest girl I've ever known. Happy birthday!"

Girls hug!

"Thanks for your kind words, Lydia. But... save the happy birthday for later, okay?"

"What? Can't your best friend pull out the earliest happy birthday for you?" Lydia smirked.

"You technically can. It just... it doesn't fair for others."

"Come on!" Done joking, the brown-haired girl continued, "Anyway, since I'm here, I want to give a present for-"

Guess she still hadn't done it. Amanda sighed, "Oh crap. What have I told you? My birthday party is coming soon. Don't hestitate!" She said, as she pulled the gift Lydia was holding to the girl's back.

"Okay, as you wish, ma'am!" Thankfully, she just put the gift on the table and got to the real topic.

"Anyway, do you know that Milo is coming to your house today?" Much to her curiosity, Amanda replied, "Yes, I do. I invited him!"

"Okay, your dress is nice, but your hair is pretty messy." She took out a comb, but Amanda stopped that, "Um... you know you can use your hands, right?"

"Opps, sorry," The girl put the comb away. Amanda turned her back to Lydia, as she braided Amanda's slight purple hair straight.

Lydia was still curious, asked Amanda, "Aren't you scared, Amanda? When Milo is around, he's going to _accidentally_ mess your party up and well, you're not happy with it."

"I do scare. But not as same as the last two times. It's a different scare, an exciting one." Amanda's voice wasn't like the last two times either. It was more confident, like she could totally get used to Murphy's Law, "Besides, I've prepared a lot of Murphy's Law proofing stuffs. Everything will be toally okay."

Lydia widened her eyes, surprised, "Wow, really? You've changed a lot since the school dance."

"I know," Amanda quickly caught her sentence, "Milo, I know he brings Murphy's Law whenever he goes and destroys things without having credits for those and... he didn't want it to happen in the first place. In fact, whenever something breaks, he tries to fix it and do whatever he can to do so."

Amanda continued, "You saw the school dance, right? Even when things went horribly wrong, like a blackout after all of the mess, Milo helped me fix the whole party; it was even more nicer than what I had organized."

She turned her head back, and spot Lydia's nod, continued, "Consider my invitation will be a thank for him."

"Girl, talk it to Milo when you see him." Lydia commented make Amanda blush, "You sure like him a lot."

"I don't!" The girl realized what she had just spat out, "I mean, I like his charming attitude and his politeness to everybody. I don't think he and I can ever have a thing."

"Well, Milo doesn't think so... Look at how he willingly helps you from time to time. It's really rare that a boy can do something for a girl, especially he has accidetally made a mess." Lydia stopped braiding, as she thought her hair was as straight as it could be, "Amanda, you shouldn't just thank him by inviting him to your party. You should be more opened, you know, give Milo a chance. Talk to him, and give him a review. I'm sure both of you will be very happy."

"You really think so?" Amanda turned back and faced her friend.

"You bet!" Lydia winked, "It's more than an invitation, Amanda. It's a chance to know more about each other."

Amanda was puzzled to her words. She was all right: did she just invite Milo like a thank and didn't consider anything else? Milo had done a lot to her, she could have done more to him. Like, an interaction, a small introduction, or 'let's start over.'

Besides, whenever she saw Milo, her feelings were raised up. She didn't feel the pressure of being perfect. It was the fun Milo gave to her: from that smile, to the accent and his work so far.

"Maybe you're right... I should consider this a chance to know more about Milo."

"You got it girl. A date!" Lydia smirked, as Amanda smiled sheepishly.

"A date... I guess?"

...

 **A/N: Hehe. Is this chapter romance or what? But all of those are just a dream. A fantasy dream...**

 **Those are some spoliers for Amanda's birthday party. Or was it? Those aren't all. I've got plenty more stuffs at her party to introduce you at the next chapter. So, be sure to follow and give me a review, you know, I will be very happy to hear it. Bye! :)**


	3. The Birthday Party (Part 1)

The day we all had been waiting for, finally arrived – Amanda's 14th birthday. Imagined, she would be a beautifiul teenage girl, and best wishes would come to her in her new age.

A few early students had arrived. They had been biggest fans for this event. The party took place in the house's backyard. Things got prepared pretty well, yet not too many stuffs so it would like a total mess. There were snack tables, tables and chairs for talking and enjoying the food, balloons hanging on a tree in the backyard. It was pleasantly sunny, and that was an advantage: not too hot, but also there wouldn't be any rain, at least. And the last but not least, a large "Happy Birthday Amanda!" sign hanging from the house to the tree. Amanda picked a right color for the sign, but she had to thank Melissa who picked a perfect font for the motto.

And be patient, the party hadn't started yet. Amanda was still inside her room, having a few more checkups here and there before going out from the backyard. Girls, you know.

Inside the room, a catchy tune was being played, which was the traditional music of "Happy Birthday to You", on a soft-sounded harmonica. The musician was trying to play out the best note, enough to make our main girl happy. But the musician was off-tempo at some parts, and Amanda couldn't take it any longer.

"Alright, stop! That's enough!" She commanded, "Harmonica isn't a good instrument to play Happy Birthday, Lydia!"

Lydia stopped playing it, showed her disappointed expression, "I know that, Miss Everything-Has-To-Be-Perfect, but this is what I can have!" She then paid attention to the instrument, turned infuriated, started picking at her harmonica "Oh great, now it's clogged."

Amanda couldn't help but sigh. She then stood at her friend's view and asked, began waving her dress and posing side to side, "So... how do I look?"

The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes, "Not again, Amanda? You've asked me for ten times. Oh, and nine of them, you were very excited, unlike the most recent one,"

"Because this is the last time I ask you," Amanda remarked, "And I've been worried in the last time of asking."

Lydia then held one of the girl's shoulder, and the other hand formed as a fist, started rooting, "I'm sure you can do it!" She then handed to Amanda a towel and rounded it to her neck, began wiping all her sweats away, "This is your birthday, remember? Everyone will like you just fine!"

After hearing her motivations, Amanda could put out the most natural smile on her face, nodded and thanked her friend, "You're right! They will. I just have to believe. Thanks, Lydia!"

Lydia thumbed up, "You're welcome!"

And Amanda had to check her friend as well, "And remember your duty?"

"Yeah, duh," The girl replied, "I wrote it on a paper and then remembered the words when you had a lot to ask me- Anywho, I've been praticing my theremin this whole morning, and I'll pull out the best performance," She took it out from her bag, played a few notes in the room, "Root... for... me!"

"I will," The Hispanic girl replied and nodded. Lydia corrected that in her theremin, "I... will... be... rooting... for... you!"

* * *

The trio of Milo, Melissa and Zack had arrived the party. Milo got a not-too-dark tuxedo with a fedora. Melissa got an aqua dress with polka dots, and Zack got a summer T-shirt with pants long below his knees.

They examined the whole party and gave the best comment for it.

"Well, this is what I've been expecting for," Melissa grabbed the first compliment, "Totally in-character of Amanda."

"Are you sastified or being sarcastic?" Zack questioned, was a bit of confusion, "I think it's nice. Colorful, but enough. We still see the sky and the sun."

"I'm sastified. Come on, think positive!" The girl remarked, pointed her finger to another boy stood next to her, "Milo once organized a birthday party inside his house and it went out pretty dull."

Milo heard the callback to a sad backstory, added, "That's right. I've never had a perfect birthday party, until Amanda came and that was the best birthday ever except for the last second. But it was fun!"

Zack nodded, understood the story and suggested Melissa, "There's a snack table near the tree. Wanna come?"

"Sure, has some eating, Zack," The girl replied sarcastically, made sure he would fatten himself up again, "What about Milo?"

She turned her head around, and the boy answered, "I'll come later. I'm going to meet a few of my classmates."

"Well, that's fine. Have fun!" And so Melissa and Zack walked far away from him.

Milo, without his friend noticing, enjoyed the fresh air and examined stuffs for the party again. His thoughts came to him, _"This party looks nice. The streamer is best not to be in a cohesive color scheme, and the balloons aren't much, but they are all put together nicely. There are even a group of balloons with the sky color. I'm really glad to be here, at a party"_

But then, negative thoughts came to him, _"But what if there were something happened? What if the punch bowl sealant over there shattered again? What if the balloons popped out and made unpleasant noise? What if she didn't prepare for that!"_

His face showed worriness, but then he slapped his face and pushed his spirit up, spoke to himself, "You're right, Milo. You can't quit. You're a special guest of a birthday party, a Murphy, and it's my job to limit the bad things happen, so Amanda will never feel bad at herself!" After a motivation spech for himself, he heard a noise.

"Was there something cracking?" He heard a small noise and its source was revealed to be from the chimney. It broke itself and started to fall right onto the students's bikes.

"Aaah!" Milo shouted, as he quickly ran to the place. He used an air bag coviniently put next to the place and threw it to the parking lot, covered the bikes. And luckily, it saved their foot from walking to home after her birthday.

"Phew..." Milo dropped his sweat, breathed in relief. After saved those, he came back to his position and observed the whole party to see if anything went wrong. He was a true manager for a birthday of Amanda.

* * *

A few student girls spotted Milo wearing a pretty nice outfit, from one girl to another. They walked pass him, understood he had a mission to do.

"Hi Milo!" – "Hey Joni!"

"Nice outfit! You pretty sure look serious to the whole party," Joni commented, and he confidently nodded, "You bet I am! And I'm observing."

"That's awful nice of you. Anyway, gotta see Bradley. Tell me if you see him anywhere!" Joni greeted with a request, and Milo yelled back, agreed, "Will do! Finding him is easy!"

* * *

"Let me get out and see how things are going," Lydia told her friend to sit put, as she went out the room and closed the door.

So far, things happened peacefully. There were some classmates asked about Amanda, which she remarked that the main character would come out in a few minutes.

And then she spotted a special guest invited by the main character, and he was observing again. "Milo!" She yelled, as the boy looked for the source and greeted back, "Hey, Lydia! Amanda's still not done preparing yet?"

The boy asked politely, much to her surprise, since there were people who asked her had been a bit impatient. But she replied anyway, "Glad you ask. She should come out any minute," Then the girl had a closer look to Milo's outfits, examined and pulled out a comment, "You're really tidy, with a medium tux. And Amanda is coincidently just the same."

"What do you mean by that?" Milo tilted his head, felt unclear to the comment.

"You'll see soon enough," Lydia simply replied, which Milo returned back with a nod. However, Milo was familiar with Lydia enough to have her notice that the nod was sadder than his usual mood. In fact, Milo's delightful charm is familiar with everyone in the school. It felt like she needed to ask what was happening to him.

She wouldn't ask directly though, but instead, walked around and sat to a seat near Milo. She invited Milo to sit, but he denied with a 'no but thanks anyway.' Obviously he was still observing. But in no time, Lydia had got another trick on her sleeves.

"Hey, Milo. Do you want to hear me play the harmonica?" She asked, as she took out her harmonica from the pocket of the dress she wears everyday – a tan dress with orange plaid sleeves, a skirt with a brown belt.

Milo is always opened to anyone, so the answer was yes, obviously. He nodded and prepared himself to have his ears blown to the beautiful sounds from the harmonica.

This melody... it was beautiful. The sound was loud enough for everyone in the backyard to hear and then they were being attracted. Lydia closed her eyes as she tried to blow the song as natural as possible. The crowd ashtonishingly, was just paying attention without a small talking noise or anything. The sight made them curious and at the same time, words couldn't describe how much beautiful this one is.

The tone was sharply sad and flaming really big. Milo, standing next to a tree, laying on to it while standing, closed his eyes and felt, as a way to taste music. It reminded him of a story he had read somewhere. "The time and space are connected together", something like that, he remembered. He was just so worried a few minutes ago, and then this song came in, and his mind found peace and calm between time and space. His mind was rested though Murphy's Law wouldn't.

It was like, the song was played and even the most fierceful fight could be easily calmed down. "When every life meets another life, something will be born. Two certain people have a dream, but have different ways of doing it. But whereever their paths go, one thing for sure, they will always care each other closely, and have a careful look." He thought that was the meaning behind the tea running through his ears, at least.

After a sort of rehearsal with her harmonica, she received a loud applause from everyone. There were whistles from superfans and praises, but other than that, everyone else back to the party, with the party mood heated up a little bit.

"I don't know you can play harmonica. Great job, Lydia," Milo gave her a comment. Seeing him relaxed showed that her mission had been done.

"See, Milo..." Lydia gestured the boy to sit down to a chair, and he followed her instruction this time. They were on a same position and it made the conversation easier, "We've been prepared so much for this party. This is like... the first time Amanda invited _everyone_ to a birthday party. Including you, Milo. The preparation was tested to the limit. It was exhausted for me and Amanda, but totally worth it. Guaranteed this will be the best birthday party ever!"

"But is there anything I have to look out for? I'm a Murphy, after all," Just as Milo spoke, Lydia put a hand to his shoulder, grabbed his attention and the girl shook her head.

"No need. We just want to see how well we have prepared. The only thing Amanda wants you to do is to relax, and enjoys this party. We'll do the rest, okay?" She gave a wink, made the brown-haired boy smiled as he accepted, "Okay, I'll try. But tell me when things don't go well, alright?"

He requested, and she said "I will," as it was an acceptable one.

* * *

And it was finally the time. Amanda naturally came out from her house and was stepping to a stage, as everyone looked at her as the main character. It was normal though, but Amanda suddenly didn't take that well.

She looked at Milo who was taking a seat next to Lydia. The boy understood her cue, he rolled his hands, as trying to say "Just roll with it." And the girl already got beter when looked at him, cheerfully cheered for her, which Lydia has always done to her best friend.

A normal sigh was released from Amanda, as she gained confidence and announced to everyone, "Hi everyone! I just want to say thank you for coming to my birthday party. It means so much to me, because... I'll turn fourteen after this and this year I've got to be the monitor of the class. Which, I'm kind of proud of myself, but I'm also proud of the teamwork and the spirit our class has. And I hope we'll keep the good work until next year."

She paused for a bit, as everyone started to hiss some small talk. She cleared her throat as a sign for her next announcement. Everyone turned silent to hear the girl said, "This brthday party, I want to thank you you all, and this is a chance for our class to reunite for the last time, before summer comes and everyone will be parted and having our own fun. So... I just want you guys to know, after the eating part, we will hold a small concert, which everyone will show up on stage and do whatever they want to show: singing, dancing, playing instruments and so on."

She laughed at herself before spatted her last words, "I know, I'm a lame announcer and not good at "arranging" my words, so most parts of the party will be anounced by my dad. That's all from me. Thank you!"

The audiences applaused and they appeared to get very excited.

* * *

Amanda walked to her seat next to the other side of Lydia, as Milo took her opposite chair. They sat around a same table, near a tree and the nearest table to the stage.

When the three got to sit around, Milo immidiately found a topic to start their conversation, "Amanda! You know what? Lydia plays harmonica. And she plays it really well!" He got excited at every word he spoke, "She should participate to the concert."

Amanda smirked and replied, "I know that way before you know me, Milo."

"Doesn't mater. She's still awesome," He remarked. Lydia who was sitting next to him, blushed, "Thank you, Milo," She then stated, as both of her arms rounded around Milo and Amanda's neck, brought them a bit closer to her, "Wait for my next performance! I'll show you guys my best. Just wait!"

Milo nodded. Lydia then noticed something was missing around Milo, "Where are Zack and Melissa?"

The boy directed her to turn her head around, "They're sitting right behind us," He pointed out, as Melissa waved him and he waved back.

"Then why do we have two empty chairs appeared in our table?" Lydia questioned, and Amanda slightly gave an answer, "It's because those are for-"

The couple she was just about to mention had arrived. The three kids looked at them as the adult couple gave a bit demanding look at them.

"Those are for my mom and dad," Amanda sighed.

"Say what now, dear?" Her mom asked her with a strict voice, then later fixed by her dad, "Just kidding, kids. Welcome to have you to our party."

The trio gave an awkward laugh to each other.

"Can you tell us who you are and how you're related to my daughter?" Mr. Lopez asked, but Lydia obviously figured out he was joking again.

"Mr. Lopez! Don't you remember me? I'm Lydia – the brown-haired girl who always comes over to Amanda every Sunday to fill in the color schedule for her?"

"That's weird..." Was he joking or he did forget her? "I don't really see anything in you leads to my daughter."

The girl sighed, but didn't give up on explaining, "You gave me snacks and then got a few away from the plate..."

"Oh... oh... I remember. Now I remember. Lydia, right?"

"That's right," She tilted her head and smiled happily.

"Man, I'm always forgetting, so, forget that, okay?" The man burst out a refresh laugh, "But I don't believe I've ever met this brown-haired boy before..."

"That's because we've just got to know each other," Amanda explained, then pulled out a quick introduction, "Milo, I want you to meet my parents. Mom and Dad, this is Milo Murphy, whom I know from school."

Milo stood up and greeted them politely, "Nice to meet you, Mr. And Mrs. Lopez-" only to find his act was interrupted by both parents.

"Okay, calm down. You don't necessarily need to do it. Just sit down," Mr. Lopez assured the boy.

"Although, it's nice to see Amanda know such a nice boy," Mrs. Lopez referred to Milo, "May you tell us a little bit about your background and the story of how you know Amanda?" She asked, and her daughter faced down, slightly blushed.

"Honey, you're asking too much from a teenage boy," Amanda's dad calmed her wife, but Milo told him it was fine, and he would like to tell what happened when they first met each other. Milo was the storyteller while Amanda added her words a little bit in order to make it not to be a love story from a boy, and Lydia heard it closely because she wasn't there in the extra credit for Ms. White's class.

"You see, I'm a Murphy, and things happen around me because of Murphy's Law-"

* * *

Meanwhile, Cavendish and Dakota were driving through the city. Dakota was eating ice-cream and letting his head outside the window while Cavendish was driving their vehicle in high speed.

"Hey look, Cavendish! There's a guy with corndogs over there," He pointed out, "Let's get some."

His face turned disappointed after he saw Cavendish passing through the guy, telling his backstory, "Preferably not! People say that place is having a construction and it's incredibly dangerous even when you're not entering the danger zone. I still don't get it," He released a stupid question, in desperation, "Why are they so afraid of me every time I go there?"

Dakota uh-ed. He knew it was because he saved him from the past, and the whole island thing, you get the idea, "Maybe it's because you weren't hit by that thing, remember? You were so lucky."

The Brit man was cheered up a bit to his partner's comment, "Hell yeah! I'm lucky."

After got out the downtown, they drove through the neighbourhood. Dakota spotted something familiar in front of a house.

"Isn't that Milo's bike?"

Cavendish immidiately stopped the car, as he heard the word 'Milo' come out from his partner's mouth, "What? Where's Milo?"

Dakota remarked, "No. Milo's bike. The yellow one, in front of a house."

The British man sighed with a facepalm to his fact, "How can you remember such facts?"

The disco man rolled the tape of his memory, "Remember when we encountered Milo when we asked whether he was an agent or not? He was riding a yellow bike, a unicycle."

Cavendish still wasn't interested in that fact much, gave a short reply, "Okay..."

They then received a call. Cavendish took out the temporal transporter in his shirt's pocket and turned on the call from their boss.

"Cavendish, Dakota. How was the last mission I gave you last week?" Mr. Block called them, in a tone that wasn't better than usual anyway.

Cavendish had a sneaky look at Dakota, cued him for something, "Dakota, we'll do it. We've been practicing."

It was the turn of the disco man to sigh, unsastifiedly did what he and his partner had been practicing, "Fine..."

"Alright..." – "What are you two planning?"

Cavendish announced his words loudly, "We've been assigned to protect ten flower vases in the Renaissance. And we've done better than last time."

Dakota flatly spoke, "We broke three of them instead of seven in the last time."

"Hmm..." Block was considering their report, before making a decision, "Alright. I'll consider you two have improved yourselves this time."

"Yes!" The British man cheered happily, questioned Mr. Block with enthuasiasm, "Does it mean we'll get back to the pistachio mission again? Or a way better mission, at least?"

"You'll need to do more than improvements, though," the joker announced, and Cavendish quickly got down, "Now listen up. I have another mission to assign to you two. It's kinda greater than inconsequential. You better come back to the Time Bureau to get more information. Got it?"

Cavendish hadn't replied yet. He told Dakota how happy he was when they were assigned to a more important mission.

"Alright, let's cheer!" Dakota brought out an orange soda. But unexpected to him, the soda can spat the water out and fell onto the temporal transporter, which made it glitched and broke up the call between them and their boss.

Cavendish gasped as Dakota uh-ohed for an unexpecting event. The Brit man pulled out a turn over to his partner, "Do you have any idea what you've just done? You cut out his call. And we'll never get that new mission again."

Dakota tried to at least excuse himself, "I wasn't expecting this can to be... I don't know... did that stuff," a typical classic Dakota.

Cavendish groaned. It's Dakota, what you're gonna do?

* * *

At the Time Bureau, Mr. Block's anger raised for the came-out-of nowhere break up, "Cavendish and Dakota! I have given them one chance to fix their mistake. I've even given them an important mission. Do they even know where they've done wrong? They should have known right?" He sighed, "Then I realize how stupid I was."

Gretchen, who was standing in front of him and hearing all the conversation, waiting for order, "So, we're still progressing our old plan sir?"

"You got me Gretchen! Do what I just said and give Cavendish and Dakota a punishment they'll never forget! Got it?!"

"Yes sir," She obeyed, but got more calm this time, as she walked out from his office. _"Sorry, Cavendish and Dakota. But even you can't save yourself from this then how can I...?"_

* * *

They got out from the car and stood in front of the Lopez resident, boring without anything to do.

"Should we join him as well?" Dakota requested, "We have nothing else to do today."

"Suddenly this is a callback to the school dance we encountered earlier. When we thought Milo was a counter-agent."

"Let's just get in and find Milo."

Just as they were about to walk in, they crashed on a person came out of nowhere, and all of them groaned and held their head in pain.

"Just a minute, what was that for?... Sara?" Cavendish asked in surprise.

The teenage girl heard a familiar voice call her name, "Cavendish, Dakota, what are you doing here?"

"Just for your record, I'm the one who have the permission to ask you, What are you doing here?"

"Since when do you have that permission?" Sara argued with the old man, already felt annoying, "I won't tell what I'm doing here unless you tell me what you're doing here."

"Well, I have my permission for my own to ask you what you're doing here and I'll tell you what we're doing here," Cavendish shot back, and both of them were being pulled in an unnecessary fight, with Dakota was the only one to stop it.

"Stop! Stop! ENOUGH!" He yelled, loud enough to make the driven people stop, "I'll reveal, okay?"

"Don't, Dakota! Don't forfeit to this girl yet."

"Really, Cavendsh? Really?" He gave himself a facepalm, "You're the grown-up, an adult. You're better than this," The British man heard the sense of his speech, felt a bit regret, "Now let's just tell her and she will tell us, okay?"

Sara smirked, "Hear him, Cavendish? Spit it!"

"As you wish!" Dakota had no problem at obeying her, "We were just driving through town after a free morning, and we had nothing to do left."

"Uh-huh." – "And then we saw Milo's bike in front of this house, so we figured out..."

The fan girl stopped him, "Wait! You remember Milo's bike?"

"He did, though," Cavendish added, "I felt kinda weird to that information."

"Why did anyone ask me those questions like that? Anyway, we figure out we should join a..." Dakota looked at a backyard, which was filled with balloons and decorations, "some kind of party, I guess."

"Oh, that's why..." Sara then understood their situation better. She kept her promise to tell them her story, "I guess it's my turn. For your information, this is a birthday party of Milo's future wife!"

The time traveler duo gasped. Sara referenced to the encounter they had met before, "You mean his future wife as that woman from the future said?"

"Yep!" The girl told them without missing a detail, totally shrugged off the arguement they had before, "That's why I'm here to spy my little brother and see if anything happens."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Cavendish exclaimed, felt unbelievable to what Sara was about to do, "Are you telling me you're going to sneak in there just to see how those two kids begin their relationship?"

She nodded. Dakota didn't feel anything while Cavendish gasped really loud.

They all heard someone walking to them, called, _"I forgot my instrument from my bike. I'll be right back!"_

The British man thought quicker. In no time, he grabbed Dakota and Sara, and three of them were hiding in a bush nearby, without Milo noticing while he was taking his accordion and went back to the party.

They went on using the bush as their next talking place. Cavendish was lost to Sara's words, "Do you have any idea what you're doing? Firstly, you're interrupting somebody's private relationship, your brother in this case. Secondly, you can't spy with your normal outfit. And finally, what if your brother busted you out? He would ask you what you were doing, what were you going to say? Have you prepared lies for that? Have you?!"

"Hmm..." Sara was down, realized she hadn't been planning really carefully, "You're right..."

The British man continued, "Have you prepared lies in that case? Lies are never easy if you haven't prepared those. And what have I warned: you shouldn't reveal spoilers to anybody's future without thinking carefully about the consequences."

The girl then turned freaking out, "You're right! What should I do? I come here and there's no way I'm coming back after planning for a day."

Cavendish nodded, understood 'his adopted daughter''s want, "Well, if you insist, there's only one logical thing to do!"

He took out from his green vests a few black ninja-like costumes.

Dakota realized the sign, sighed, "Not this spying game again...?"

* * *

A large applause was heard, while another very important person of the party was going to the stage. He has his confidence in the early 40s, and although he tends to forget a lot, he still stands in front of people as a great man. The one and only, Amanda's father – Bruno Lopez.

He used some hand movements while on stage: waving his hand to the audience and slowly put his hand down, as a sign for ease the applause down. He would be the MC for his daughter's party.

"Hello everyone. A few members of my family, and Amanda's classmates are taking a big part of my daughter's 14th birthday," He was announcing pretty slow, to keep everyone hear clearly. There was no rush at all, "I'll be the host for the events today. So let me hear once again, another exciting applause as I'll list the fun activities!"

Another applause was come in order, "Thank you! 12 o'clock, we will begin with a music concert. Anyone who love music and singing, are free to join. We won't do any judgements or so, just come up here and show us what you've got! And next, we will set camps in this large backyard. You'll pick your own group, and each group has a maximum of five people. And of course there won't be any judges, but we'll consider how much creative you've put onto your camp, and maybe give you a remarkable prize. There will be materials to set up a camp, and tables will be moved away. After that, we'll take a rest, then Amanda will open presents and we'll have dinner before get to the final part, the ball," A few cheers were heard, as he continued, "Pick a partner, maybe a boy picking a girl, and feel the love in the air as they dance to the beat, the melody of the music. That's all about it. Hope you all will have fun!"

Mr. Lopez greeted the audience, as they gave another loud applause before he got back to his seat with his wife, his daughter and her friends, Milo and Lydia.

Milo, with his never-faded optimism, was excited to all the events he had heard, "Mr. Lopez, I'm so excited for the concert event. And the camp, and the ball!"

"Why didn't you say you love all of them in the first place?" The father questioned.

Lydia took out a harmonica and a theremin next to her, showed up a few confidence, "I'm so ready."

Milo's confidence was also built up just the same level as her, "Oh yeah? My accordion is even more excited than you are."

Amanda smiled and looked at some competitive spirits next to her, "You're such energetic friends," she commented to herself.

"I have never seen anyone give such respect to traditional instruments like you, Milo," Bruno complimented, and Milo felt flattered, "It was nothing, Mr. Lopez. I just like accordion. It's all I can play. I'll have a solo performance and a band performance."

"You have a band?" Mr. Lopez raised an eyebrow in ashtonishment, and Amanda gave him information, "Milo has a band called 'Just Getting Started' with three of his friends. You'll see them soon."

"'Just Getting Started?'" Her mom was hooked by the name, "Such a spot-on name they've got."

"Kids these days... They can do anything!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Okay, just for your information, the song Lydia played on her harmonica is Oracion ~ Walking Together (Pokémon Movie 10 and 20). I thought I could reference it by some familiar Sinnoh quotes, but I guess I was out. I couldn't Xd.**

 **Anyway, what do you think about this chapter? Let me know by leaving a review to the story. And yeah, hopefully I can get to release the chapters weekly!**


	4. The Birthday Party (Part 2)

Amanda's parents got out from their seats and prepared other stuffs for the party. The table they were sitting still having two seats left, but they could have at least comfortable moments to each other then.

Milo gave out a note on his accordion, instructed Lydia, "So I'll press a note right here..."

"Wow, that's awesome!" Lydia was so focus on a newly instrument she had never been in touch until now. She then came up with an idea, "Hey, I think my harmonica and your accordion will be very fit to each other. What do you say?" She requested, with a pleasant note was played.

And of course, Milo couldn't be more pleased to accept, "How couldn't we? We'll be totally fit."

The two then quickly spotted Amanda. She was doing some work with her phone. It was her birthday, she had to do something more memorable. Another idea were come up from the two energetic friends.

"Amanda," Milo poked her from behind, and she questionably asked, "What is it, Milo?"

"Can you sing?" Apparently Milo wanted to know more about her. She at least took her eyes out from the phone, a little bit opened to Milo without noticing Lydia was also a part of the plan, "Yes, I can. But it just works for a few times. I'll have a bad singing voice if I sing usually."

"Aw... Amanda. That's nonsense! You can have that as a part of the concert. Can you?"

"Well..." That request of Milo was nice, but she didn't know how to react.

Lydia then came up and explained, "Deal with it, Amanda. You're being request by one of our classmates to sing. We'll have a harmonica and accordion performance. And a singing voice will be perfect! Can you, Amanda?"

Lydia smiled while Milo grinned to Lydia behind her back. Amanda took a long breath before had no other choice but to accept the beg, "How could I say no to my two best friends? I'll sing! Support me well!"

Milo and Lydia obeyed to their leader, "Yes, Mrs. Monitor!"

* * *

The concert ended after an hour. There were a lot of great performances out there. Lydia was the opener with the "Happy Birthday" song played on harmonica and theremin. She also included "Mom It's Your Birthday" to her playlist and while it wasn't really fit, at least she didn't sing so... it was fine. Then, it was a group of Amanda, Lydia and Milo's turn. Their performance came out a bit emotional, with Amanda singing "You Raised Me Up," and Lydia and Milo nailed the music perfectly with their own instruments. Next, a classic... two classic performances actually, from the band Just Getting Started. "Just Roll With It" and "A Bumpy Ride Tonight" had already been popular to all the students in school, and it was a great honor to play it in a party. And there were more awesome performances that couldn't be told by a paragraph.

After a short time, the camp began. Everyone got to work together and Melissa... she had already got a trick on her sleeves.

"Oh wow. A castle?!" Lydia's jaws dropped, glued her eyes to their camp.

"Yeah, I saw that already," Zack stated sarcastically, then looked around to notice an absence, "Um... I hope anyone will notice, but... have you guys seen Milo anywhere?"

"That's weird?!" Melissa questioned, and Amanda questionably looked around, "I don't see him anywhere too. Let me check the front yard."

She said, as she walked away from the backyard, and came out the front yard. The girl then heard a watering sound. She came closer to it, and saw Milo trying to fix a sprinkler in the front yard, with a wrench and some tape.

She came closer and close enough, "Milo? May you join our camp?"

"Oh, great!" He complimented, literally, "In a minute! I saw your sprinkler get a crack hole, so I taped it and made the bolt go tighter."

"Well, yeah... It was really nice of you Milo, but..." The girl sheepishly revealed, "Can you try not to help for once?"

"Wait, what?" Milo was surprised to hear those words from Amanda, but he was naturally calm with it, "No offense though. If that's your order then I-"

The Hispanic girl interrupted him, "No... I don't mean something like that. But hear me. For example - You're trying to fix a thing that hasn't broken when you aren't there, but then you come and try to fix it and then it's broken due to Murphy's Law. While you're thinking you will break that thing while it hasn't broken, you come to fix that thing and then that thing is broken before you come and you think you do break that thing, while in fact it won't be broken if you don't think about that thing and try to relax for a while. Get it?"

A silence came between them. Milo was a bit lost, "Well, I guess that's some kind of universe explanation."

"Besides, I had prepared a lot of Murphy's Law proof before you came. I just want to test it out and see if it works," she revealed, and Milo came to a quick decision, "Of course I'll just relax and join with you guys. I've given Lydia a promise, and this time I'll do just the same."

* * *

Meanwhile, in front of the Murphy house...

A glowing light appeared in the middle of the scene. It was revealed to be time travel, as a vehicle came out from the light. It was rather of a windowless van, with the mark of B.O.T.T. on it, slightly revealed 'That isn't a good sign at all.'

Gretchen came out of the car, with an usual dull expression. She didn't want to do this originally, at all. But her boss and those two pistachio guardians were really stubborn.

After reached the coordination, she received a call from Mr. Block and picked it up, "Gretchen! Hear my order! I want you to get inside that house and collect any evidence related to time travel shenanigans and Milo Murphy. If he were there, feel free to grab him back here. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" She obeyed, in order to let him cut off the call by himself. She let out a yawn and sneakily got in the front yard, "God, tell me. Why do I have to do this again?!"

* * *

"Ah, Milo, Amanda, you arrive," Melissa commented, as the two sat down together in a group of five, them, her, Zack and Lydia, inside their camp – a castle.

"Here, I have orange soda. Enjoy it like you're at home!" Amanda took out a box of dozen soda cans.

They enjoy sipping the soda. In-between the noise, Melissa interrupted, "Since we're all here, what game should we play?"

"I know!" Zack raised his hand, "Chess! Or Pokers"

They all gave him an amusing look, and Melissa immidiately punched his arm, "I never win you, you know?"

"Guys, listen," All then turned their attention to Amanda, "I have thought a total new game. 'Truth or Dare'."

"What's that?" Milo questioned, while Zack and Melissa gave each other a curious look. Lydia gasped, "Oh no... Don't! Anything but that!"

"Yes! It happens, Lydia!" The Hispanic girl teased her before revealed more information, "It's a game that's popular for parties and celebratons. Rules are simple. We'll take turn to make a person answer our question truthfully, or make them do our dare. Is that all clear?"

"That sounds simple enough. I'm in!" Milo agreed.

"Yeah, me too!" Zack followed.

"Let me give this a try," Melissa stated.

Lydia protested, "I don't think I'll join. I've lost my best secret because of that game."

Amanda spotted her trying to avoid the game. She grabbed her inside, much to her ashtonisment, "Come on! It'll be fun. We'll play with Milo, Zack and Melissa."

The orange-skirt girl still felt pissed, "You convinced me in the last minute, though."

"Now... who will be the first one to be asked?"

"I would!" Milo yelled excitely, took the beginning, "I choose Truth."

"Okay, let me ask you," Amanda asked a question, "What is the most embarassing disaster you've encountered?"

"Oh, a good one. Um... Am I supposedly to answer truthfully?"

"Maybe. That's what the purpose of the game for."

"Oh, okay," Milo revealed, "There was a time when Melissa woke me up in my house, in the EARLY MORNING!" He spotted the smile of the girl. She remembered that, "I was so confused that I landed hard on the ground with the lamp fell on my head. Melissa came in and saw me using the lamp like a scarf."

"You look cute!" Melissa teased.

"That wasn't!" Milo yelled, "That wasn't really funny. And you even posted in on your Instagram."

"Oh, I think I saw that one," Amanda took out her phone, whose screen appeared a picture of Milo having a lamp-scarf. Everyone was laughing non-stop, Milo dropped his jaws, no word, well, there _were_ words, "I think I understand Lydia."

"Come on! It's just the beginning of the game," She pointed her hand to Lydia, who would have a next turn, "Uh, me? Okay, I'll target Melissa. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare! Wonder what could it be?"

Lydia sipped the soda can, before pulled out a hard dare, since she was a bit experienced to the game, "I dare you to kiss on Zack's cheek."

"Wait, what?" Melissa was totally confused while Zack blushed.

"Chill out. Just do what I say and you're fine."

"Well, I'm not fine," Melissa commented sarcastically, "Zack could deserve it though."

"Heh, come on me," The boy challenged.

Melissa groaned. She had to do it anyway, for the fun of the game. Zack, faced his cheek to her, didn't notice Melissa smile before gave him a warm naturaly long kiss on his cheek. He noticed how perfectly that kiss was, turned to Melissa, spotted her smiling, heard her saying, "It's fine, don't worry!"

"Aw... isn't that cute?" Lydia commented. Melissa never found it amused at all, but teased her, "As if you have Chad to do."

"I do not understand. I'm dumb," Lydia shot back.

Everyone sipped the soda before the next person asked, "Okay, it's my turn," It was Milo's turn to pick a target, "Zack, get ready! Truth or Dare?"

"Truth. I won't do dare like Melissa did."

"Okay... Ahem. If you can describe Melissa in three words, what will those be?"

Zack answered it immidiately, "Cute, soft, delicate," and Melissa blushed to his words, ended up pushing him lie down.

"What was that for?" Zack questioned.

"I'm not soft," Melissa mumbled, "That's what I'm proud of."

Zack backstory-ed, faced mumbling on the ground, "Okay, how about the time me and Milo get you to the Pet 'N' Stuff You Feed 'Em Store? Just for looking at some puppies and complimenting kind words to them?"

"Wait, Melissa likes puppies?" Lydia giggled.

"Not of your concern!" She shouted, and took a time to consider Zack's words, "Consider you're right, Underwood."

"Whatever _you_ says, Meli."

"'Meli', another cute nickname," The third time the orange-skirt girl interrupted, and Melissa again, had no smile at it.

"I called her like that once and she put a cute flower on her desk," Milo revealed, "Anyway, Zack, you're next."

"Alright. I target Lydia. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," She said, "I'm out of truth. Blame this girl who's sitting next to me," she called out Lydia.

"Wait, that isn't even right. You have picked Truth like ten in eleven turns," Amanda argued, and Lydia fought back, "And you ask me important question and unnecessarily need to be revealed."

"Well," The dark-haired girl smirked, "Too much honesty."

"Anyway..." Zack rolled his eyes to the argument, asked Lydia, "I dare you to hug Milo as pleasantly as possible. A real hug."

The girl felt relieved with a breath, "And I thought it would be something more ridiculous."

"Like what?"

"Like... grab Chad from wherever he is to my place and say 'I love you' and then grab him outside, isn't that right, Amanda?" She reference to her best friend again, and Amanda had no word, just sheepishly smiled.

She was aware that Lydia would be the first to interact with Milo, but anyway, it was just a game and she felt totally cool with it.

And she had to admit, Lydia was quick to her action though. She closed her eyes and enjoyed herself while wrapping her arms to Milo's neck and her head landed on his shoulder. Even Zack and Melissa couldn't believe what they were seeing. A bonus: Milo responded by also wrapping his arms to her neck, as both felt the warm they gave to each other.

It was last for half a minute though. Sure it was a nice dare Lydia received.

"Great job, Lydia!" He locked her eyes to a girl sat next to him, "Melissa, you're next."

"Oh, okay. Milo, Truth or Dare?"

"Me again?" Much to his surprise, but it was an honor to be asked by Melissa, "The truth again!"

"Can you answer me this:" She revealed, "What were you dreaming about last night?"

Milo thought a bit to the question, before a realization: He clearly remembers the dream last night, where he imagined him using Amanda's bike and biking her to his house, and that's not all. Their kiss was so perfect-timing and passionate that the boy even thought he had done it since yesterday.

A beat occured, while his friends were looking quizzically, "What's wrong, Milo?"

"I can see it," Zack stated, and Milo turned attention to him, "Really?"

"Nah, I actually can't. But from the way I see, you must have dreamed something really embarrassing."

"It's okay, Milo," Amanda comforted, "Don't get too much pressure. Just answer the way you want. It's just a game after all."

Somehow that comforted Milo to get a joke, "Somehow that makes me want to tell you all what I actually dreamed last night," He sighed, "Well, it's a funny dream though.

You see..."

Just as he was about to speak, a large sharp object flashed by, cut a half of the castle and left the teenagers sitting outdoors. Then they turned their attention to some Milo's familiar faces.

"Cavendish, Dakota? And Sara?! What are you doing here?" Milo asked.

"And why are you hiding in the bush?" questioned Melissa.

* * *

Let's all rewind a little bit to the event from earlier.

"There you go," exclaimed Cavendish, as he pulled over the last bit of Dakota's zipper on his ninja costume.

"Thanks! This thing is tight for sure."

"Enough complaining," Sara said to the two, as she was looking at the scene of the party at that moment, "Well, looks like the party poppers are all celebrating inside a camp."

"And can you tell me why are we supposed to stand right here?" Cavendish pointed to where they were standing, which was a few meters behind Milo's camp, which was obviously a pink castle.

"If only I have an X-Ray glasses or something to look through..."

"Hey you two!" Dakota called the other two, and the man saw a tiny shuriken, "I found something."

"Dakota, don't! Don't press the-" button, but it was too late.

Much to the disco man's curiosity, the shuriken was launched then, and spinning around in the sky. And we all knew how it ended, where it landed: it cut Melissa's castle in half and crashed onto a fence nearby before stopped.

"Cavendish, Dakota? And Sara?! What are you doing here?" Milo asked after spotted some familiar faces.

"And why are you hiding in the bush?" questioned Melissa.

After receiving those questions, Sara secretly gave the two time travellers a wink for 'Just follow the plan' before she began it. Even though they weren't bringing any plan, at all, "Milo... um... you forgot your backpack this morning so..."

"My backpack?!" He yelled, then noticed, "You're right! I've forgot it. So that means you're here with my backpack?"

"Yeah," She exclaimed, "Let's me just get it..." She checked a bag which Cavendish and Dakota had used at some point and then realized, "Oh no... I think I haven't brought it yet."

Cavendish in no time, realized the act, "I think I see that."

Dakota followed, "Yeah, what he says."

The trio then quickly ran off with their real mission: Milo's backpack.

"Don't worry! We'll be right back!" Sara yelled to her brother, as she biked to her house while Cavendish and Dakota drove the time vehicle slowly.

"Wait! Do you need me to do-" Milo thought of running to his sister to help, but Amanda stopped him, shook her head.

"You're right. That universe explanation," Milo said, "I'm just gonna let everything go their own way, relax, and enjoy the rest of the party."

"That's it! You're getting it," complimented Amanda.

Melissa pulled out a comment next to Zack, "Sara and Milo forgot Milo's backpack. A typical Murphy's Law."

* * *

The camp part was later over. There was no real competition for this either, but to appeciate the creative in Melissa's castle, her group was titled as "Memorable Moment" in the party.

Onto the present part! Those were gifts, not that they were from the present.

Amanda sat to a chair next to the gifts table. They were stacked and wrapped in all different colours. She was reading a letter which came with an orange present.

" _To Amanda. I'm so happy to know you for two school years. And you have been the monitor of our class for two years. And you've done an amazing job: you've motivated everyone to be a part of something, and while you have some anxious on order and perfection, but you're still a kind and smart person when classmates need your help. You may not notice, but from the depth of our heart, our class really loves you, a lot!_

 _And I couldn't be prouder to be your friend, Amanda. We'll still see each other in summer, right?"_

 _-Lydia-_

After reading it, she opened the gift and saw a picture frame of her and Lydia. It was their first picture together, and Amanda felt a bit sentimental about it.

"Thanks a lot, Lydia. This means a lot to me."

"That's all I could do for my monitor! Happy Birthday!" She yelled, and it ended up with everyone gave her a loud cheer.

Amanda took a next one, included a small letter as well. As expected, she had completed her role really great in the year, though everyone was doing their best too!

" _Hey, Amanda. "We" just want to drop you a few letters. And yes, this gift is an idea from me and Melissa. You're the greatest monitor we ever know. And though you are a bit worried when things go wrong by a small inch, you're still consistent to your schedule... or I think?_

 _Open it! This present may help you a lot. ;)"_

 _-Zack-_

"Zack and Melissa, thanks a lot!" She shouted to them.

"Open it, then thanks us later!"

The girl nodded. She opened the second present (from behind) and saw a handwatch. She immidiately wrapped it around her arms, and it was precisely fit.

"Yeah, I should thank you again."

The audience had a small smile to the moment. Then it finally came: the last present – coloured red and brown stripes.

"I knew it. Milo's sweater vest," she whispered to herself.

Then came beneath it, there was another letter. She didn't bother though. In fact, maybe her, Lydia and Melissa are the only girls in the class who loves to read.

Two last letters, she read it to the audiences. A thought then came to Amanda: she invited Milo to the party, maybe she would read the letter for herself first.

And that's exactly what the letter was meant to be.

" _Hi Amanda!" That's what I always say whenever I meet you. I know, I'm not the best at choosing words, but this letter will be a secret of you and me, okay?"_

Her decision was proven right. Her eyes continued looking at the letters.

" _You're a great monitor in the class, and I'm a Murphy. I may have accidentally cause a bit trouble to you because of Murphy's Law, and if you can't handle it, that's okay, I can't argue. I just want you to know, whenever there is a bad thing happening to you, my senses just tell me to fix things and make you happy at best. And seeing you happy after the opera and the school dance, I knew my missions had been accomplished. Seeing your smile after stresses you don't deserve to have is my pleasure!_

 _Then I was delightful when I was invited to your birthday party, by you, Amanda! Words can't tell how happy I was you know? Yesterday I spent a day to buy the best outfits for myself, and I met you doing the same. I'm not sure why, but since you invited me, I couldn't think of anything else but to have a small moment with you: just the two of us."_

" _Was he imagining the same as I did?"_ Amanda thought. She found a common between them in the party. She then continued reading.

" _And this whole paragraph was supposed to write early this morning. I wrote it when everyone was taking a nap after the camp: *sighed*_

 _I kissed you, Amanda! In my dream!"_

Amanda was no word at it. Well, she was already. But seeing this made her really surprised. She widened her eyes, but kept reminding herself, "This is Milo..."

" _That's why I was so shy to reveal my dream when Melissa asked me. I dream us being together, in a perfect time – after the birthday party! I borrowed your bike and drove you to my house. And after that, well, you pushed me towards to you, and our faces met no space in between. We could feel our warm breath, before our lips met each other and started a passionate kiss. Even when I snapped out from my dream, I felt like I had done it the day before!"_

" _Now that he mentions, was I dreaming myself and him dancing together, putting passion from move to move?"_ Thoughts came to the girl, before she read the final paragraph.

" _Again, this is a story between us okay? I hope that didn't ruin our friendship, except if it has been ruined by Murphy's Law... ugh._

 _Enough rambling! Happy Happy Happy Birthday, Amanda! And I hope you like my little present."_

 _-Milo-_

The gift was long but rather thin. She couldn't think properly what it would have inside since... Milo's truth.

"A pencil?" was what she said after feeling surprised. She couldn't believe the very thing in front of her eyes.

Bradley, sat to the opposite camp to Milo and friends, already teased and laughed, "I guess this is how _Milo_ gives present to a friend, isn't it?"

Milo, upon hearing those words, looked down in defeat. Melissa and Zack only knew to comfort him, put hands to both his shoulders. Lydia, in the other hand, cheered him up, whispered the words to his ears "Don't worry. She'll like your present. You must have noticed she lost a pencil this week right?"

He barely responded, only nodded.

And the quiet mood suddenly changed.

"Milo!" The girl called out her name. He faced up, looked at the girl as she was running towards him. _"Does this mean she doesn't like my present or something else?"_

"Tell me! How can you find this kind of pencil?" That question made his eyes widened. _Is she questioning me where I buy a... good pencil?_

That question wasn't being answered though, as Amanda continued, "This is the rarest kind of pencil in this town. It can be used for a year and it's barely broken! How do you know I'm needing a pencil?"

The boy stopped thinking out of nowhere. She did like his present, and he had to tell her the reason he bought it, "Well, I spotted you counting the number of classmates and you broke a pencil. Though you acted like you didn't have one, it was somehow obvious to me. So... here it is."

Everyone in the party gave them a loud awe, except Bradley who felt totally pissed then, and Melissa and Zack and eventually Lydia, who smiled comfortably beside them.

Simple words couldn't describe how happy Amanda was. Small tears could be seen, she looks so cute when she's delightful, as Milo described. In a flash, she grabbed Milo in for a hug – hands wrapped around his neck as the boy could feel the warm of her body and her hair, "Thank you, Milo! This is honestly the best birthday present I have ever recieved!"

He pat Amanda's back, to calm her joyous cry and tears down, comforted, "It's okay, Amanda. I'm doing what I can do."

They were so happy that they didn't want to break the moment. His friends, the party poppers and even the parents, could see this scene forever!

* * *

Gretchen had finally reached Milo's room after half an hour. She did get some struggle when Brigette was at home, but other than that, it should have been a piece of cake.

She gently opened and closed the door behind her. The woman didn't have guts to open the light, as it would attract somebody's attention. Anyway, she used a flashlight to examine around and saw if there were anything suspicious.

"It was nothing..." she grievanced, "Just an accordion and school stuffs. This boy has a nice pijama though."

There was the last corner she checked, and the flashlight spotted a small brown bag, with a flag of black and yellow stripes for "danger." She came closer and picked it up.

It was Milo's backpack. She had a test look inside it and saw some neat equipments: from helmets to grappling hook, even a juice container. Who would keep that in their backpack?

"This could be useful for further investigations though," said to herself, "Or a herring red for misleading that guy not investigating anymore. This case is hopeless after all."

Suddenly, she heard the door open wide. A loud squeak noise from the door, more lights came in with a large growling sound. The protector had come.

Diogee.

He began to bark and scared the intruder, and warned Brigette who was still under the house, climbing up. Gretchen had no other choice but to escape from the window before any person could interact her.

"What is it, Diogee?" The mom asked the dog. He kept barking towards the room now was empty. She went inside and look closely around.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gretchen had already been ouside. The dull woman quickly ran to the time vehicle and held Milo's backpack. With her quick enough act, she started the engine and jumped to the time stream.

In the same time, Cavendish, Dakota and Sara reached the Murphy residence.

"Is it just me or did I see a glowing blue light disappear," Dakota informed.

"Hmm... a blue glowing-" Cavendish suddenly stopped, as he knew that there was something wrong, "Quickly! Get inside of the house!" He commanded, "I sense something fishy around here."

Dakota and Sara then followed him coming inside the house, climbing upstairs and reach outside Milo's room. They first spotted Diogee standing outside, and then Brigette, who began to raise her concern.

"Oh there you are Sara, Cavendish and Dakota," Brigette greeted them.

"Hello ma'am," Cavendish politely greeted the woman back. Dakota asked, "You look a bit worried about something. Is there anything wrong?"

"Yeah mom. What's happening?" asked Sara.

"I think Milo's backpack is missing," Brigette revealed.

Everyone gasped and yelled out an exclamation.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

A birthday party will never be completed without... a birthday cake, of course! Amanda sat the nearest to the tablle which was putting a large white, two stories chocolate and ice cream cake. Everyone rounded their arms together to their shoulder and made a big circle around the birthday girl.

And what's the best part of a birthday cake? Followed by a song. Everyone harmonously sang the traditional 'Happy Birthday', except for Lydia who was playing the music on her harmonica.

 _Happy Birthday to You!_

 _Happy Birthday to You!_

 _Happy Birthday, our Amanda!_

 _Happy Birthday to You!_

Another cheer was made in the day. The candles upon the cake were still shining significantly in the mood of the sunset, as the sky was glooming the whole scene with the magenta and a bit red color.

"Blow the candles, Amanda!" was what Milo commanded.

"And make a wish," Zack followed.

The girl did it, maybe without any requests. She closed her eyes and thought slowly, what her dream could be?

" _What can I wish? What should I wish? Whatever it is, it's sure important."_ She thought, _"Last year, I specifically wished to be the monitor of my next school year and I've outdone my work. It's really hard to decide where I should go next."_

A sudden thought came to her mind, " _Milo, you're really great. You're a pain to a girl like me, but you're too good to be blamed by anyone. I don't know why, but being with you, I feel worried yet pleased because you know how to make me happy. So please, if there's any chance for me to know you more, I'll just use it. I really appreciate your help, Milo. I hope I can be your best friend, Milo. That's what I only ask for."_

After the thought, she blew out the candle before everyone clapping and cheering again. Until her parents came and gave her a surprise.

"We want to give you this, Amanda," Bruno handed out a box.

Or a present, to be precise. It's a medium-sized box wrapped with her second favorite color: aqua. It's a bit heavier than any other present she received, but not that much heavy if you pack it behind your back. It had a weird power to connect Milo and Amanda together as best friends, if you will.

Can you guess what the present inside was?

* * *

"Sir!" Gretchen reported to Mr. Block, who was sitting on the chair as usual, seemed to be more calm than usual, "I've found a new discovery."

"This better be good!" The old man raised his hope up.

"I got into the house, and unfortunately, I couldn't find the kid... BUT, I found this," she handed to the man Milo's backpack.

"Hmm... Is this from the boy?" He asked, and Gretchen simply nodded.

The man examined further inside the backpack. It weirdly contains more stuffs than it seems to be, which made him interested at first. He then found a lot of weird things inside the backpack, which can be useful only in specific situations.

He then smirked with a devil laugh, "Great job, Gretchen! This could help us a lot in the find of Milo Murphy and his acquaintances. Oh, and I've got some new time travellers first class to join in this case. Brace yourself!"

"Yes, sir!" The woman exclaimed.

* * *

Amanda looked at the beautiful box put nicely on her legs sitting on the chair, eyes were looking on the color and details. The girl put two fingers on the ribbon, gently untied it in order not to make the box moving yet. Later, she opened the box inside and already saw two straps revealed.

Having noticed the clue, she finally opened it and saw a very thing she had never seen before: a medium-sized magenta backpack, with two straps to let her carry it on her back.

"Wow! This is beautiful!" Amanda commented, "I don't think I have seen this kind of backpack before in my life."

"Well, it's because it's not a schoolbag, Amanda," Bruno informed.

"Say what?"

Her mom then explained, "I know school is your main target and it's your passion, but I think you should go out there and explore more about the world, the people outside."

Amanda's eyes widened to her words. Her mom then quickly fixed, "Opps, I mean, try to mix up and go outdoors more. It will be fun. And with your new backpack, you can carry everything you need, even when you're studying or going on a picnic."

She deeply looked at her new backpack. It was beautiful and really cute, but with it, she knew there would be more adventure waiting her up ahead, _"Now you and I, partner, will stay together and cope out any difficulties. And I think I know someone who can help me on that..."_

"Thanks, mom and dad!" – "You're welcome."

"Okay, time's up!" Bruno announced, "Slice the cake and take a part, everyone!"

* * *

"Alright, kids! Grab a partner as we dance and move to the beat!" This man, an announcer, then the DJ of the party too?

Everyone began to pick a partner and caught up with the music, upbeat but not too noisy. Bruno was mixing all the music the party had got today, and made it a techno.

Milo was about to join the fun, then suddenly remembered forgetting Amanda. He came to see her, and the Hispanic girl took her time to examine her newest present. Milo couldn't help but smiling.

It was his time to calm her mind and trust her backpack.

"Amanda, um... wanna come dance with me?" He asked, "I think your backpack will be fine without you around for a while."

The girl giggled, "Silly Milo. Thought you'd never ask."

Soon after they went to the backyard, which was nicely decorated with lights from the disco ball, and some spotlights, so the room wasn't left too dark.

They nodded before got started by holding each other's hands while moving gently back and forward to the beat. Sometimes they let go and looked at each other, having the same dance. Sometimes Milo spinned Amanda and ended up holding her waist. It was progressing perfectly in Amanda's dream. And seeing Melissa and Zack was a bit amusing though, but they did pretty good.

They moved their bodies nonstop to the beat, unless the music stopped.

* * *

A fancy night outside Danville. When most of the guests at the party were about to leave, Milo and Amanda walked to the front yard of her house.

"The whole party was so awesome! I've never been like it for years!" Milo exclaimed, and Amanda smiled, replied, "Glad to know you're happy. And thanks for the greatest pencil, and the letter."

The letter part triggered the boy, "You read it? I'm sorry, Amanda. I don't want to have a dream like that but..."

"Shhh..." The girl put a hand to his mounth, whispered, "It's not your fault...", prevented him from thinking any worse. She then used another hand to hold Milo's hand, and push herself closer to him, until one could sense their breath. Their unique color eyes filled with passion and curiosity, with the in-between space barely appeared.

The nose touched each other, and Milo was a bit curious to Amanda's act. Though he did know what the next act would be, asked for sure, "Um... Amanda, you're thinking you just do it? Do what I just dreamed?"

She simply nodded, as the girl began her act: took her lips to his and started the kiss. Milo, instead of standing like rocks, feeling surprised in his dream before, started to act like the girl and made their acts balanced. They both closed their eyes and felt the wish becoming reality.

Milo was holding her waist that time, and as both bumped their bodies towards each other, they broke the kiss, eyes widened and their cheeks burned red.

The kiss was fun while it lasted for a minute before the two saying goodbye to each other after an eventful day.

A day they could never forget. And with a new string of bond, new fortune and mishaps coming, what adventures would wait for them?

Because the day after Sunday was that Monday – first day of summer. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 ***evil laugh* Yes, the birthday story line has been over from here. I know the ending is kinda rush but it's better than having unnecessary parts all over. (6000 words for a chapter is a heck already :v)**

 **The ship teasing is still there, and Sara spying on Milo... won't be focus on too much anymore, so I guess "Types of Movies" officially end right here, right now. :v**

 **Next, we'll move on to the next storyline with a "new bond" of Milo and Amanda, their friendship. Keep following the story and make sure to click the like and the subscribe buttons and leave a comment below... sorry, this isn't Youtube. Bye! :)**


	5. Going the Extra Amanda

Ah... the first day of summer... for the one of a time story.

Summer... the days are longer, the nights are shorter, the sun is shining and it's noticeably getting warmer. Breaking into a song will be a total cliche.

Summer gives us different feelings: school-free, shopping and gaming and doing anything you want and so, but also feeling bored when there's nothing much to do and seize the day.

Although, summer is the time we all rest up and also get the chance to do outdoor activities.

What shenanigans would throw at our main girl – Amanda – today? She was spending some times to look the same old view of the school days, while waiting for the bus to arrive and take her to the mall. That day, the girl was assigned by her mother to do some shopping, instead of boringly sitting on the couch and watching channel to channel.

How reasonable that woman was.

She packed her own backpack and felt hopeful. This would be their first adventure together, and Amanda was going to use the best of her partner.

While she was waiting, the bus stop post fell and almost hit her. She gasped in surprise. The adventure would be added with some little bad luck taste, as the disaster magnet was running towards her.

"Hey Amanda!" was what the boy greeted her.

"Hey, Milo!" and she greeted back, followed by a question after seeing him still running on the place, "What are you doing?"

"Just some morning exercises. Can't let the long summer vacation trap you inside your house forever, right?" He informed, asked, "What'cha doin'?"

* * *

Meanwhile, at someone's house...

The girl heard her catchphrase from far away, and put down her newspaper.

* * *

"I'm going shopping for my mother. She now kinda let me go outdoors _slightly_ more than usual," the girl giggled, "But seriously, the main purpose is that I'm learning how to use my newest backpack I pack on my back right here, right now."

"Wow!" Milo exclaimed, "That will be very cool, Amanda. Can I be your mentor?"

"Really?" She raised her voice, felt hopeful. But then, she spotted something was missing, "But Milo, where's your backpack by the way?"

"Oh..." His voice got down a bit, to fit the mood of a terrible story, "Long story short..."

* * *

" _After your party, I went back to my house and already wanted some rest already."_

He entered the house, only to find the door was slightly opened. That was rare though. Except for ridiculous Murphy's Law, a wind couldn't let the door open just like that and let a robber come in freely.

A robber? He slightly thought of that, and then remembered Sara hadn't got the backpack back for him since their last interaction.

He went upstairs and found the way to his room. Much to his surprise, there were a lot of people around.

"Cavendish, Dakota? What are you doing here?" he asked, "It's getting late!"

They barely responded, obviously didn't want to reveal the bad news.

While Diogee gently thudded at him and let out some sad whimper. The boy pat his head, "There there, Diogee. I know this sadness. What's going on?"

He raised an eyebrow, face filled with confusion and turned to Sara, "Sara? Tell me! Have you seen my backpack? Where is it?"

Those were all hard questions running through her mind. She then sheepishly pointed her finger to the last person in the scene – their mother.

"Milo!" The woman shocked to his appearance, and then tried to change the topic, "So uh... how was the party?"

"Really great!" He reviewed before quickly coming back to the point, "But I need to know why everyone's gathered around here. Is there something wrong?"

They gave a look to each other without looking at the person who asked the question, "Hey, what was that look?"

Brigette sighed, before revealed.

"Milo... we lost your backpack."

* * *

(Back to reality)

"And then I screamed for like 15 seconds," He commented, "I know I can afford another backpack, but losing it is the biggest pain of a Murphy like me. It's like... losing a right arm."

"Oh, I see," The Hispanic girl nodded, understood what was happening to her boy friend then, "Well, I agree to let you be my mentor," she confirmed, "You know, getting the spirit of having a backpack while waiting for the new one to arrive."

"That's great!" He cheered, "Thanks Amanda!"

"No, I should be the one who thank you," The girl put a hand on Milo's shoulder. He felt her hand really warm, and reacted with a blush, "Seeing you always there and doing the best for me are two of the best things in the world. Now, let's get our adventure begin, with you, me and my backpack!"

As soon as she stated, the rumbling sound was heard and they both felt the ground shaking. Seems like the running gag would come very soon.

Amanda started to feel a bit concerned, and Milo joked, "Um... I think we should run instead of taking a bus."

"What are you talking about?" She pointed to the left of Milo, where they saw a bus coming towards to the bus stop, "Over here!"

But the drainage pipe was faster and coming with whatever the drainage pipe's velocity.

"Taking a bus or running?" She yelled to Milo, as the rumbling sound was getting louder.

"I'd prefer the latter one," he simply replied, and the girl had made a decision.

"RUN!"

The two was running and screaming while being chased by the pipe, as it came across the bus and made it already stop at the bus stop.

Melissa and Zack came down from the bus, and saw all the action, gasped.

"Zack, did you see that? Did you see that? How adventorous that thing was just then!" She pointed to the pipe, but Zack had his attention to somewhere else.

"Yeah!" He exclaimed, "The new T-shirts are 40% off. From this Monday 'til the end of the week."

Melissa then came into anger, threw the newspaper away from him, while Zack got used to it and shot back, "Okay, okay, I saw it. Don't even remind me! Two people are being chased by a drainge pipe like me and Milo, only me replaced by AMANDA!" He shouted, as he knew danger was coming to the perfectionist.

"Come on! Let go see what's happening!" The girl commanded, and both were running after the pipe which was after the couple backpack teenagers.

"Wait, hold up!" The boyband exclaimed, as he and Melissa stopped, "One question: does that mean you're going to record the whole thing?"

"Why are you asking me that stupid question," The girl groaned, " _Of course_ I'm going to do it IF I KNOW THE TWO ARE SAFE!" She ran off again, without paying a care for Zack behind her.

"Hey, wait for me!"

And so the fun began!

* * *

Milo and Amanda were running for their lives, while being chased by the drainage pipe. The girl gasped and ran with lots of breath.

"Milo! How can you be so calm to things like this?" The girl asked, and Milo answered, "Well, it takes practice though. Screaming just hurts the larynx."

"Oh, that makes sense... Is this how your first day of school with Zack looks like?"

"Yep." He nodded, "Zack was a scaredy cat at first, but then he eventually gets used to all the thing, or being sarcastic to it at least."

"Zack is great!" The girl commented.

"But we are running from danger without any safety gear," He informed.

Suddenly, they all heard a music sting grow louder and louder to their ears, and in no time, it was running next to them.

 _Ye Olde Pizza!_

 _When you're tired of bangers and mash_

"Veronica?!" Milo cried her name happily.

"Hey, Milo! Oh, a new company I see," The armor girl joked

The boy chuckled, "Oh, right. Veronica, this is Amanda. Amanda, this is Veronica, my last babysitter."

"Last babysitter standing!" the motto.

"Hey, Veronica!" Amanda greeted her in manner, "But I don't think this is the perfect time to stay and know each other."

"Looks like you guys are in trouble," Veronica stated, and gave them a couple of things, "Here! Take these! They will be useful."

"Two helmets? Perfect!" He took it from Veronica, and gave Amanda the green helmet while Milo was wearing the orange one.

"I better give the order soon. See you around!" Veronica and the two waved goodbye, as the babysitter took a turn to the next street, let the two run.

"I must admit it's safer, but I'm not sure if we can stop running from this point," Amanda pointed out. Milo then showed her a crossroad in front of them.

"Quickly! You turn left, I turn right and we will let the pipe fall in the mud."

"Wait, how do you know it's mud down there?"

"My experience," He yelled, "Just do it!"

They ran to different ways, managed to avoid the big pipe and let it roll on the steep hill before it landed on the mud.

Milo and Amanda looked down below, cheered as they both had survived.

"That was a close call. But we did it!" Milo exclaimed.

"Yes, yes we did! Thanks to you and your babysitter," Amanda replied.

"Your movements are not bad at all," He informed, "Just practicing a little more and you'll grow up more calm."

"You think?" The girl doubtly asked, before Milo gave her his helmet, "Here! Keep it to yourself."

"What?" She grew her eyes in surprise, "But I've already had one."

"There's one thing you should know," The Murphy said, as he gently put the helmets inside Amanda's backpack which she packed on her back, "is that there's always a backup for any eventuality."

"Do you mean I have to learn to have backup on everything if I want to use the backpack?" The girl questioned, and he nodded.

Amanda tried to understand and followed his instruction. She used to be a great help to Milo or any other classmates when it comes to studying, academic, mathematics or so. Then she was here, being his mentee at how to use a backpack, in Milo's style.

"Well, guess it will be useful for the future. It feels great when you get to inhale the fresh air and see the blue sky," The girl commented, as she was looking to the perfect side of life, "I can really live and learn."

"But there's another thing you should remember," Milo's voice turned softer, as he guided the girl to another lesson, "Life isn't all rainbows and pink flowers. Sometimes there will be a storm coming, or buildings collapse and ruin the fresh air," He giggled to himself a little bit, "Guess that won't always happen when I'm not around. But it's always good to be prepare for bad things that ruin the perfection."

Her expression came down a little. She knew from Milo that learning to live in real life wouldn't be easy, as sometimes perfection, her most favorite thing, could be ruined, "That's really somehow terrifying. But I will never give up. With your help, and my effort and... my backpack, there's no bad luck will be imperfect."

"I don't think that's how you're supposed to say it, but, great show!" The boy rooted.

Melissa and Zack stopped running and came to the two, breathed exhaustedly.

The boyband asked, "Did the boulder... stop?"

"Yeah it did," Amanda informed, "About 10 minutes ago."

"10 minutes?!" He asked unbelievably. Had he and Melissa ran for that amount of time. Then he heard a noise make him annoyed, "Melissa, you can stop breathing and look up to the sky now. Now who's energetic than who?"

And she did what he said: stopped breathing and lied down on the road, "I can't keep up with that boulder. Guess I can't tape anything for today. But it's not school now, so that's not my duty anymore."

"You're trying to tape again?" Milo asked, felt a bit amused, "You never change, and Murphy's Law does change. It's getting faster than your tape."

"Well yeah, thanks for pointing that out," the orange-haired girl replied sarcastically.

"Anyway, I'd like to know where you are going for today," Zack asked, and quickly revealed himself's plan first, "Well, I'm going to buy two new T-shirts today. T-shirts aren't interested me a lot, but the poster said 20% off, and there was the logo my favorite soccer team on it so..."

"And about Melissa?" Amanda asked directly to Zack, but Melissa got herself stood up and took the chance of answering because the question was about her, "I'm taking extra lessons in summer, and we were kinda taking a same bus. At least I have a person to talk to on the bus, because most of the time, I usually sit alone. It's really boring."

"Okay, stop being dramatic over here," Zack responded, "You're saying like you don't see us everyday. I guess taking a same bus was a pure coincidence."

"Really, Melissa?" Amanda felt ashtonised, "You're taking extra lessons in summer? Schooling I guess? Or someone has your revenge?"

"Not that kind of lessons. My dad's lessons," She flatly revealed, but felt just fine with it, "Every Mondays, about firefighters and social skills. You should join us, Amanda."

"Does Mr. Chase really teach that?" The girl questioned, felt interested.

"Then it will be awesome!" Milo complimented, held one of Amanda's hands. The girl looked at him, and he looked back hopefully, "You should join her, Amanda."

"I guess I can... Alright! Count me in!"

"Great!" Melissa cheered, "I can introduce you to my dad right now if we're hurry. Zack, what time is it?"

"7:40 a.m.. We still have time," Zack informed, "I should go early and get the first spot. Bye!" He said, as he ran off in front of them, heard some goodbyes at him: "Goodbye, Zack!", "Have fun!"

"And then he runs off again," Melissa felt a bit disappointed, but at least she had Milo and Amanda come with her, "Amanda, let's go right away!"

"I hear you!" She agreed, and the girls and Milo ran forward to their destination.

"We'll go this way through the bridge across the rock quarry," Milo informed confidently, "What could possibly go wrong?"

And things didn't happen quite exactly as he hoped.

* * *

The same engineer Milo and Zack had met, prevented them from getting across.

"As you can see, the bridge is on fire due to an oil spill catches fire and things happen," he said, "The Danville firefighters are on the scene to stop the fire before it causes any more damage."

Melissa frowned, "Bummer... But if firefighters are here, that means..."

And Milo coincidentally got what was on her mind, "Look, Melissa! There's your dad. Hey Mr. Chase!"

Meanwhile the man, upon hearing someone called his last name, turned his head slightly to the right and saw her daughter and her friends, "Oh, Melissa, Milo."

He ran towards them in surprise, "What are you doing here? This place is dangerous."

"Actually, we don't mean to be here, Mr. Chase," The disaster boy politely informed, "We're looking for you for Melissa's extra classes."

The fireman nodded, understood, "I see. So you're interested to my daughter's extra classes as well," He then turned to Melissa, "And Melissa, I'm sorry but looks like you have a day off for today."

"Eh?!" Melissa dropped her jaw, surprised, "Why, dad?"

"The fire takes a long time for us to water it off. If we manage to do that this morning, I guess I can only teach you for 10-20 minutes," Mr. Chase explained, and Milo seemed to be with him, "I understand," and comforted his friend, "Cheer up Melissa. Your dad has already had a tough day today."

"Guess I have no choice," She still felt pissed, but her expression turned to delight as she had great news to tell him, "I almost forgot, dad! You're going to have a new student."

"Who's my new student?" He smirked, "Is it Milo?"

"Well, probably, but Amanda will join your class," She said, and pointed to the girl stood next to her.

She pushed Amanda forward to face him. The Hispanic girl felt a bit worried, but we all know how nice Richard is, right?

"Hmm... Don't worry, I won't bite you."

And Amanda didn't anxious anymore. She laughed embarassedly in fact, "Not that kind of worry, Mr. Chase," she had been worried while standing in front of the great man, and combined with an embarrasing moment.

"Amanda... Oh, you're the monitor girl in Melissa's class, right?"

His guess was right, and she nodded.

"She always mentions you and says you're her biggest rival in the class," He revealed and laughed.

"Rival?" She turned to Melissa, who was not a bit embarrassed, "On what, Melissa? Have I made you uncomfortable at anywhere?"

"Not that kind of rival, Amanda," Melissa added, "You had been the target I'd dream to defeat in the class. Your score is impressed, and somehow that pushes me to work tougher. Not that kind of rival, defeating or anything."

"I see... Well, glad I could help."

"Okay. Amanda, do you really want to join my class?" Richard asked, "There's one thing you need to know, this isn't the learning you meet at school everyday. It's about physical strength and reflexes in social problems," His voice was demanded before he returned with a smile, "Don't worry though. This class is about social skills and you will get to exercises everday. It's tough though, but you'll have a lot of fun with Melissa. I'm sure these extra classes can help you a lot in this summer. Feel free to join if you want!" He winked.

Amanda heard those words, still didn't make any change, "I made my decision after I had heard Melissa say about your classes. I'm in!"

"Good!" He took out a paper, probably his list of mentees, "What's your full name?"

"Amanda Lopez!" The girl bowed, "Please teach me!"

"Alright, two students in my class. This should be fun!"

"Oh oh!" Milo raised his hand excitedly, and Richard questioned, "What is it, Milo?"

"Can I join them too?" Milo requested made the girls surprised, happily faced him, "Your classes aren't for girls only right? Besides, I love exercises."

The man wondered for a few seconds, before quickly announced, "Alright. My daughter, Amanda Lopez and Milo Murphy, in my class. Hope you all have fun!"

"Yeah!" The trio cheered.

"We'll start from tomorrow at eight, so be sure to come in time, got it?"

"Yes sir!" They agreed in unison.

"Good! I've got to get back to my work. See you later!"

He ran off, and waved goodbye to them from behind as they did the same.

* * *

"Dodgers M... Dodgers XL..." Zack was looking for shirts, and he found one, "Oh look, I got it! Dodgers shirt, sized Double X L. Wonder how Melissa is right now with Milo and Amanda..." He felt a bit sad for leaving her behind, but the sad moment quickly faded, "Guess I'm too worried. Nothing will happen with the duo Milo and Melissa."

* * *

And Zack wasn't even close. The duo and Amanda who companied with them, were being chased by the coyotes on the road. Melissa felt so confused to this.

"How can the wolves chase us even though we're not in the woods?"

"Well..." Milo answered, and tried to break the fourth wall, "Let's just say when we were talking and walking on the road, the fire somehow broke out to the woods and made the wild wolves ran outside and chased after us." He smirked to the audience who were reading this without no clue what is happening, "It's a lazy writing when you don't add a backstory, but I've already been through it once so-"

"Milo!" Amanda yelled, "What do we do now? We don't have anything to compel them."

"I have one!" Melissa shouted while they were still running, took out her lunch, "A sandwich. Guess I'll buy lunch for myself."

She threw it to the wolves, and they seemed to stop chasing them.

"Huh? That was easier than the last time," Milo commented, "Looks like they're examining the sandwich."

"You mean it's easier to throw a sandwich that the last time?" Melissa questioned, and Milo shook his head as a no, "Not that kind of easy. It's easier to stop them than the last time."

As soon as he said, a wolf used its mouth to throw the sandwich to Milo, and they seemed to consider Milo as a dessert.

"Stand still..." Amanda calmed the boy from behind, but it's easier to said than done, even with a Murphy kid.

"Well, I guess I can do a thing, but my backpack is missing and it's going to be replaced for a few weeks," Milo commented

"Hold on your horses, Milo! I got ya," Melissa shouted to the boy, "Here! Let's use a stick to grab the sandwich off your body," She did what she were saying, as the wolves ran and followed the falling sandwich which was coming towards a lake nearby, "and then run!"

And the three ran off again, but with no pressure, "Great job, Melissa! That's what I did to Zack when a sandwich was stuck on his back," the boy praised, "Where did you learn this?"

"From my dad of course," She revealed, "I mean, not that kind of situation with the coyotes or anything, but the food and the stick are practically the same."

"You're pretty awesome!" Amanda complimented. She hopefully smiled, knowing that her summer would be perfect, "I can't wait 'til tomorrow."

"Looks who's more excited than usual," The ginger smirked, then turned her head and asked Milo, "Hey, Milo? Where are we going again?"

"Hmm... Like I said, I don't have a backpack along with me, but according to my senses, we're running to my father's work place."

And his prediction was right. He coincidentally met his dad outside the gate.

"Hey Milo, Melissa, and... Amanda right?" Martin greeted the kids.

"Hi, Mr. Murphy," Amanda politely bowed the man, "I'm just glad everyone has to question my name even though they do know my name."

"So you just came, dad?" Milo asked.

"Yep, I came in time. Murphy's Law, ya know," He answered with a refreshing laugh. Martin was examining the trio, who all were having sweats on their bodies, and wet shirts. His guess would be 'after a long run,' "I guess you're the same, son. Murphy's Law has been driving you again."

"It really is," He commented, put out a 'raging' stream and made it stop, "But with my two best friends, there's nothing that we can't handle."

"I like your spirit!" Martin placed his hand on his son's hair and gently rubbed, before telling his backstory, "Unlike you right now, with a backpack and everything, me and your ancestors used to deal with Murphy's Law all by ourselves. It wasn't anything that could be accomplished on one day though. But, like we always say, 'All you need is a little persistence,' and you'll move a long way forward."

"I do have persistence!" Milo excitedly claimed like he was a kid, old times, "And I can learn to live without my backpack," and received his father's challenge, though he didn't say anything challenging yet

"I didn't say it was a challenge. But that's right, a few weeks without your backpack," He pulled out a question, "This should be interesting," The man then turned to the Hispanic girl, "Amanda, you got that backpack yesterday, didn't you?"

"Oh... yes. This was the gift from my mom and dad," She replied, held her backpack in front of him, "Milo has been mentoring me for an hour about how to use a backpack-"

Martin suddenly paused her, then asked Milo with a bit of demanding voice, "Milo, have you been mentoring her how to use a backpack, in your way?"

Hearing his father mentioned 'In your way', Milo had already got where he was wrong, "Oh... I guess I shouldn't use my way on Amanda's"

But the girl didn't think so, "No, that's not particularly right, Mr. Murphy. I've actually asked him to teach me, it isn't all on him. Besides, I want to go alongside Milo and make him... you know... feel the backpack along him again."

"It may be true," Martin replied, "But I can tell you this. Everyone has their own unique style, and you can only choose the one that's in your heart. And your conditions are different than Milo. You don't always experience bad luck in your life," He then gave her a warm smile, "But don't worry! I'm sure Milo will be a great inspiration."

The girl nodded, "Yes, I understand. Thanks a lot!"

"You wouldn't be in the same condition as Milo.. except..." He joked, "if you were like part of a family I guess. Like me and my wife, or so."

The girl quickly caught that joke, thought, _"A wife? He meant that if me and Milo were husband and wife in the end?!"_

" _I think the ball isn't a joke or a lie in anyway. But Milo..."_

She glanced at him, smiled, _"Milo, it's hard to say but... hopefully you and I..."_

Milo shot back with also a joke, "Maybe you can adopt Amanda as my sister."

"Haha, great one," The man laughed, "We'll see about that."

But obviously, the boy lied to his thought, _"A slight thought though. But what if I went along with Amanda. Does that mean there will be more troubles to her. What if she couldn't handle it? Could Murphy's Law be too much for her?"_

He glanced at the girl, who had stopped glancing at him then, _"Amanda, I think you can handle it, even though there is a better way for you. We'll see about that."_

The man spotted the sign of his son thinking, _"Yes, Milo. You have a target, in my opinion."_

Melissa looked at the scene, with no one paid attention to her, smirked and thought, _"Milo and Amanda. Their friendship is interesting, even more than me and Milo. Guess you have another great friend Milo, congrats!"_

" _Although, I doubt Amanda will make it. Guess I will be a company of her and Milo for a while."_

* * *

Quick cut to outside the mall, and the three friends had been running, again.

"I almost forgot my mom's shoppping," Amanda smirked, as she had made it, "Luckily, with my quick memory, I was able to remember it without being too late before 10 a.m."

Milo added, "And this map my dad gave to us. Here, Amanda! Take it for you need."

She grabbed it and thanked him, "Thank you, Milo."

Melissa quickly pulled them in, probably because she didn't want them to waste any more second, "Okay, we're out of time. Just get in to the door," they passed through the door, "And here's the bag keeper."

"Oh, right..." The boy realized, and took out the backpack from Amanda, which made her surprised, "Milo, what are you doing?"

"You can't get your backpack inside a mall, you know?"

"I know!" She claimed confidently, "I just accidentally forgot."

And in no time, they almost reached the elevator, "And we're here-"

But it didn't come out as they expected, "Out of order?!" Melissa yelled, before released a sigh and kept motivating her friends to go forward, "Alright, we'll take stairs."

Amanda's bad dream had come, "Stairs?!"

And after a few effort climbing by stairs to the first story, they began their shopping. Amanda's shopping list which her mom gave her was filled with food only. She assigned Milo and Melissa to collect vegetables while the girl herself would be picking up some eggs. They agreed before being seperated to different stalls.

Melissa was no expert to cooking, but she had good eyes. Every time she pays attention to something, she picks it up and checks it for two times or more. Milo's mission was as important as hers: to check around and see if Murphy's Law acts. Without his backpack, he had suffered struggling for holding a stall and trying not to make it fall and 'watermelon pyramids' collapse.

"Milo, let me help you!" But with Melissa being his friends, their strength are enough to push back even a runaway bus (yep, that happened). It's just like old times, when Melissa used to be the only friend that appreciates Milo's condition. Now they're growing up and aware that the world has at least accepted him, except for some exceptions. Now they have Amanda, who was worried and concerned when he was around, now she's getting warm up to him and even becoming friends.

"Hey Milo, I may be rude to ask this, but what do you think about Amanda?" The girl asked, while carrying her bag and letting Milo free as he was doing his duty.

"Um... no, it isn't rude. You should know how I feel about her," Milo said, "You're my friend, Melissa." He continued, "Well, she's kind and generous. She organizes everything perfectly, even though she can be worried sometimes."

"Great! Thanks for answering, because I will let you know what I think about her."

"Really?" Milo turned his eyes to look her, as she revealed, "Well, she's a nice and kind girl," she continued, "And you may not know this Milo, but..."

"But what?" The boy was curious, wondered what secret of Amanda he hadn't known.

"She's a good dancer," The ginger revealed, "That's the reason she organized the school dance, to reminisce the old time when she used to be good at dancing."

"Wow, that's amazing!" He commented, "I danced with her yesterday, and she showed some good moves though. Why are you telling me this though?"

"Nothing!" the girl sheepishly smiled, "I think that's all you need to know."

"Ah, here we are, the last item," she stated, "Shall we meet her?"

"Let's go!" Milo exclaimed.

* * *

The three met outside the mall. They were then walking on their way to home. Amanda couldn't believe how fast their shopping was.

"Thanks guys! Can't believe we're doing this pretty fast," she giggled, "even with Milo."

"It's an honour," Milo shot back, but then heard rumbling sound beneath him, "What's that noise?"

The ground started shaking, "I don't feel good about this," Melissa exclaimed.

It was the last words before the ground collapsed, made the three fall into the deep under ground.

Milo landed first by his foot easily, and Melissa landed on her back, a bit painful but it was okay for her. Amanda was coincidentally landed on Milo's arms.

"Oh, uh..." she got off the embarassing moment quickly, but she owed him again, "Thank you, Milo!"

"You're welcome!" He scratched his hair and replied sheepishly before revealed, "But now we're in the sewers."

"And it's pretty dark," Melissa commented, but quickly got an idea, "Hey Amanda, turn on your flashlight on your phone."

"You're right!" Amanda got the idea in no time, "This could help us get out of here fast," The girl took out her phone and turned on the light

"And I've got one too-" Melissa took out hers and it quickly got snatched by a random raccoon in the sewer.

"Murphy's Law," Melissa commented sarcastically. Milo ran after the raccon, "Don't worry! Let me get your phone back."

It was running pretty fast, but Milo already got his path ahead, "Where are you running now?" he smirked confidently. The raccon quickly threw the phone in order to escape, and it was almost landed on the water.

Milo caught his eyes on the phone, tried to prevent it from getting into the water, "NOOOOOO!"

He tried to extend his arm and grab it. Amanda and Melissa were standing and watching, worrying for him on his side, "Milo!"

And luck was on his side, he got it. But his whole body landed on the cold water in the sewer, except for his left hand, which was still holding Melissa's phone above the water surface.

He managed to get his face out of the water before shouted, "I did it!"

The girls happily cheered for him. Melissa grabbed the phone from his hand while Amanda was helping the boy get on the land. The question kept coming out from the girls.

"Milo! Are you okay?" – "Do you hurt anywhere?" – "Was it cold?"

He laughed and replied, "Nope, I'm okay. The water here is pleasantly fresher than I thought. It was cold but hey, I'm a Murphy."

The boy then turned to ask Melissa, concerned, "Was your phone wet anywhere?"

"No, it's fine," she said, "Thank you, Milo. You're really great," and gave him a comfort smile.

And he smiled back at her, "Anything for a friend, Melissa. And thanks for pulling me up, Amanda," he turned to the birthday girl and thanked her, which was surprising, "Am I getting credited too?"

"We all!" Melissa confirmed, "Anyone want to in for a group hug after an event?"

Milo and Amanda nodded. Surprisingly for Milo, the two girls came in and hugged at him. He almost fell from that push, but his strength tried to treasure the moment. It was weird for him. He had never hugged two girls in his life before, and also two of his best friends in his life. One is his best friend in the world, and other is the girl warms up to him recently. He can swear, he will help and protect them even he has to risk his whole life.

That being said, he's a Murphy and the luckiest boy in the world.

They released each other. Melissa waited for Milo's order, "So where are we going next?"

He quickly responded, "Well, there's a loose grate up over here to the left. Me and Zack have been there before," then commanded the girls, "Amanda, Melissa, guide the way!"

"Yes sir!" They said in unison, gave a warm laugh as they both used their flashlight on the phone to guide the way.

* * *

Outside the sewer...

"Why is it so hot apparently? It's like getting into a boiling pan," an amateur engineer complained, "I guess I can turn the water back on," he said as he did.

His boss prevented him but it was too late, "Don't! You know we're missing one of the sections on that concrete drainage pipe, don't you?"

"I guess I don't," the engineer scratched his head stupidly while the boss palmed his face.

Meanwhile also outside the sewer...

"Well, except for the last grate we've passed through, I think we all should go to the the cinema," Milo informed the girls, "That's the fastest way to get these things to Amanda's mom."

"Even me not knowing anything about it," Amanda's jaws almost dropped when she heard rumbling noise, again. She could sense it and so did Milo and Melissa, "Don't tell me it's that thing this morning which is coming back."

"Nah, we're in a construction site so..." Milo was about to say the event when it already happened, a raging water stream was coming at them from behind.

"Amanda, lie on the cart over there!" Milo pointed to the same thing Zack had lied down while he was carrying by Milo during the disaster.

"Okay... I see what you're doing here," the girl obeyed and sat on the car, while Milo and Melissa all pushed the cart go forward, fastly.

The deja vu happened. They ended up sitting on a truck filling a pile of sand. The truck was flowing and passing through the engineer, "Hey, Milo! You and your friends look like they're having fun."

"Yeah, we always!" Melissa commented for the boy.

* * *

Inside a bus driving far away from the mall...

"Okay, we have T-shirt and tangerines," Zack checked his list of items, "four bags of beans and pizza for when I'm bored."

The silence suddenly dominated. It was weird that he was the only one inside the bus, if not counting the driver, "Wow, it _is_ boring. Guess Melissa is right. I'm stupid when I'm talking alone like this."

"Hey, Zack!" Milo spotted the boy on the bus, and he looked outside from the window and saw the deja vu in his view, "Milo, Melissa, Amanda! You guys okay?"

"We're completely fine!" Amanda replied.

Zack nodding made a sign for him hearing the answer. The truck was flowing to the main river as the bus was passing through the bridge.

"And there they go..." He said to himself, "I don't think they can make it to our neighbourhood faster than I do."

* * *

Back to the river.

"Now we really need to get back to shore," Amanda commented, "I seriously can feel the deja vu going around."

"Yes, yes it is," Milo replied before they came to an old friend, "Hey look, the Maple Street Bridge!"

And immdiately the trio heard the growl from a dog and a wolf. The growl from the wolf showed its fear while being chased by a pet.

"Diogee, great boy!" The danger boy complimented his pet, "But you should go home from here."

The dog didn't notice that there was a car coming towards him. He saw it and quickly dodged. The driver yelled loudly and acted the same, hit a water tower nearby.

"Uh-oh," Melissa exclaimed after seeing the scene from behind, "I think we should climb quickly!"

"There's no time!" Milo informed, "Everyone, hold tight on the truck!"

The water tower fell down the river and followed by a large wave coming from behind, pushed the truck in sound speed, before they were delivered out from the river and free-falling to a bottomless hill.

The wind blew pleasantly through them even when they were falling. In the sky. The third deja vu of the day.

"Well, what about your last time, Milo?" Melissa asked, before the three slammed onto an alien ship. They had done that twice for about that time.

What were those aliens gonna do this time?

* * *

Back to the bus, with Zack now was companied with Bradley. The two almost reached their steps, came out from the bus and reached the ol' bus stop.

"I'll bet," Bradley put out a bet, "That they will never make it before we do."

"Is that even fair?" Zack protested. He knew that they were only a few meters away from giving 5-dollar to the glasses boy.

"Well, duh. The win is almost here with me by the way."

The two managed to get down the bus. Zack made slow steps, wish time could go slower. Bradley who was next to him, smirked confidently, as he could feel the victory inside his warm hands on the first day of summer.

But unfortunately for him...

The green glowing light he saw on the first day of school appeared again, two... no... three of them, until it was revealed to be Milo, Melissa and Amanda. They were standing right at the bus stop before the jealous boy could even reach.

He made a series of unexpecting moves before, "Milo?! But... but.. but how can you-?"

"It's simple when you have great friends around you," Milo stated, "Especially Amanda. She helped us explain to the aliens what had happened to the aliens."

"With this pencil he gave, Bradley the Third!" Amanda smiled, teased him with the pencil from yesterday.

"Hey!" Zack punched his arm and called him out, "Where's my 5-dollar?"

 _It's my world and we're all living in it!_

* * *

The scene changes to a dark room with the lamp on a table lights up the whole room. Mr. Block had finally contacted with the agents they had for his latest mission, and was about to assigned them.

"Good," he said after receiving the information he could get from a couple of agents and considered if they were qualified for this piece of cake.

"That's it, you're qualified!" he announced, "Now let's grab that kid over here and I'll make some questions with him...

...Brick and Savannah," They smiled at each other, signing this should be a piece of cake while the boss laughed really loud and followed eventually by the agents.

Gretchen, upon heard all the conversation, gasped and whispered, "This man has gone too far!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: The first chapter of the 2nd arc – a fanon rewrite of "Going the Extra Milo." What do you think about this chapter? Leave a review, if you will!**

 **Okay guys, so there won't be the next chapter for the week after. I'm checking it really carefully and seeing if it matches the idea of the story. That chapter is going to be problematic though, so stay tune! I may release it on mid-December.**


	6. Feelings From Melissa

**Author's Note: New chapter guys! As I promised, this has been released in mid-December. This chapter will focus on mostly of Milo and Melissa's friendship, and you'll see how this is gonna payoff. Enjoy!**

* * *

After her first morning finished with a series of deja vu moments, Milo and Melissa were invited for a lunch with Amanda and her mom. As of their kind attitude, they didn't want to bother her family's lunch, but the perfectionist tried to make them stay as home for a while, and the mom was even more pleased to let them in.

Melissa was helping the mom prepare the lunch while Milo was lying on the couch and watching a soccer match on TV and weirdly, sports were the first channel to be in her family's favorite channels. He turned to ask Amanda who was sitting next to him with a piece of newspaper. He didn't know Amanda can be interested in news and felt no surprised at the same time, she loves to read after all.

"Hey Amanda, does your family like soccer a lot?" Milo questioned.

The girl smiled and replied, "My dad mostly. But I'm slowly getting intrigued with the intense matches and starting to have a father-daughter time! At least for now."

She turned her eyes to the football matches. Having been with her dad and watched many games, the girl already had acknowledged which team were playing through the shirts, "It's the Tigers and the Privateers right?"

"Uh-huh," Milo said yes, "It's no surprise that you know. I bet Zack is watching at his house right now."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Underwood residence.

"COME ON! GET THE BALL BACK! GO! GO! TIGERS" Zack was wearing the shirt of his favorite team he just bought, and yelling loudly, cheering from the small screen.

" _And the defender gets the ball and shoots the ball up to the attackers."_

"That's it!" He yelled again, "Finish the freaking match!"

* * *

"He can get overexcited though," Milo concluded to a scene that Amanda can never imagine.

"Milo! Amanda! Lunch time!" Melissa called for them, and they both nodded as Milo turned off the screen and came towards the lunch which he was invited.

* * *

After a nice little lunch...

"See you tomorrow, Amanda!" Milo greeted her from the front door.

"Can't wait for our class tomorrow. It will be fun!" Melissa exclaimed.

"I should pack everything for tomorrow," She continued, turned to Milo, "But Milo, are you sure I'm going to need these?" She took out her backpack and directed Milo to the stuffs he gave her.

Milo couldn't respond right at it, just sheepishly laughed, "I'm not sure, though. But like my dad always says, 'It's not how heavy the backpack is. It's how you carry it'."

He began to leave as Melissa was already ahead of him a few steps, but before the boy left, he turned back to Amanda and made her surprised with a soft kiss on her cheek. The girl could hear him whispered, "See ya later!"

Melissa slightly turned her head to their act, knew that Milo and Amanda were having a good time. Her mind suddenly came back to the time where Melissa and the boy himself were best friends, and hanging out anytime, anywhere. They were so alone back then, like the whole world was turning their backs to Milo except Melissa who were the only exception and she loves being the only one. How could she forget the time when the disaster boy took her to a local park, as they were taking a nap and lying on the soft grass? It was a time in fall, when leaves from the trees fall and dye the ground an orange paint.

" _I think a branch is about to fall on us," A 7-year-old Milo informed to his only friend Melissa, "We should get out from here."_

" _No, no, no," The girl grabbed his hand, as an effort to prevent him from moving, "Actually, I have a question to ask you."_

" _Okay, seriously? We should get out from under here," His calm was dropping, as he heard the noise getting louder, "I won't let you get hurt because of me, Melissa."_

" _Just listen to me," Melissa offered, "Milo, do you trust me?"_

" _Melissa..." Milo couldn't do anything else, "Of course I trust you-"_

" _So hear this! When I signed up to be your friend, I already knew it wouldn't be easy. But it will be easier if we share the problem!"_

" _What? What do you mean?"_

" _I'm gonna block the branch for you," She revealed, and Milo imdiately disagreed, "Heck no, Melissa. Don't do this. We still have time to dodge."_

" _There's no time," Melissa still stood there and waited. She didn't forget to wink to Milo and say, "It's going to be alright."_

 _And in no time, the noise reached the loudest, as the branch was falling right at above Melissa with high speed. Milo, in his sense, couldn't calm himself anymore, he had to do something. But Melissa was quicker: she locked him with her legs and slightly leaned to Milo, made him surprised and effortlessly close his eyes. At the time, rain was falling, as a bad thing would happen._

 _The branch as expected, hit Melissa and it hit at behind her back first, which a normal person would immidiately faint after being hit. But with her physical strength, she used her hands to keep the branch not falling any further, while her ankles were sticking to the ground. It was later when she quickly threw it to the other side of the grass._

 _The girl later fell on Milo's body, while the boy was calling her name in shock, "Melissa! Melissa! Are you okay?"_

 _But it wasn't too serious, it seemed. She opened her eyes and answered weakly, "I'm okay... don't worry."_

 _The first thing Milo did was to check her body and see if she was hurt anywhere, "Oh no. As I expected, your hands and your neck are bleeding. I'm having some bandage in my backpack."_

 _Milo tried to do the first aid quickly before the rain could fall under the tree. After having finished with her neck and laid the girl onto the tree, he came to bandage her hands. She could feel water drops on her hand, and almost mistook those were raindrops. She looked at Milo's expression, and saw it isn't like that._

" _Milo? Are you crying?" Melissa asked innoncently._

" _No, I'm not!" He lied. Milo's teary eyes were easy to spot, "It was the rain."_

 _After seeing him finished with her hands, the girl quickly said, "Milo, you know you can let it out. I'm always be here with you."_

 _And Milo couldn't calm himself anymore. He hugged Melissa and let out a cry. The girl comforted and flapped his back, "There there... Milo, try to stop crying. You're a Murphy. I know you're strong," as her hand formed a fist for a symbol of strength._

" _But I couldn't protect you," The quote mixed with the cry._

" _And you've protected me a lot, and I've protected you just now," Melissa said, "And we're both trying. Milo, you can't escape from being my best friend."_

 _Suddenly he stopped crying. He realised a new light in his life. He knew he had someone he could totally trust on and that person wouldn't get away at anytime when he needed them._

" _I trust you, Melissa. Thank you!"_

There were many times Milo losing his confidence, but since that time, it had been getting less. Now the Milo she knows is calm and delightful everywhere he goes. Sure, it can be lonely with Murphy's Law around, but he knows that Melissa, Zack, Amanda are always with him and he's never alone.

"Melissa!" Milo called her name and made her drop her old memories. The 'jinx' was coming to her with a smile, much more better than the touchy Milo she knew, "Sorry for letting you wait. Amanda is joining us tomorrow. Isn't it exciting?"

"Yeah, sure," Melissa replied and smirked, "For Milo, everything is an adventure."

"Of course it is!" The boy stated. It was rare for him to see Melissa remind him something they obviously knew. He looked at her quizzically before saying, "Let's walk."

* * *

The two best friends were now walking along the sidewalk.

"It's still afternoon, and there's nothing to do at our house," Milo said, confused on what to do next.

"I can learn for next school year but other than that, yeah, there's barely anything to do," Melissa pulled out the same sentence.

And the boy pushed Melissa to dodge a ball caused by Murphy's Law. It was revealed to be a group of kids who played football.

"Sorry, sis! We don't want to hit you with the ball," a kid apologized, followed by the rest of them said 'Sorry' in unison.

Melissa of course would forgive that, "That's okay. But be careful next time."

"We will!" The gang confirmed as they kept moving the ball together along the sidewalk. The teenagers watched them going far away from their views.

"That reminds me, it's been a long time since we had a day just the two of us, Milo," Melissa said.

"What do you mean?" Milo asked.

"Well, you begin to have more friends caring for you, and you're not like the 7-year-old I knew anymore," She began to imitate the old him, "Melissa, I promise I'm gonna protect you and you can't do otherwise."

"That's not funny," he stated while Melissa couldn't stop laughing, "Haizz, you... But you're right, it _has_ been ages."

"How about _el classico_ today's afternoon, just for two of us?" She offered, "We can do anything we want with any kinds of Murphy's Law."

A mailbox fell beside them and made them slightly shocked.

She continued, "It's gonna be great. Wanna come?"

"I'd love to!" Milo excitedly agreed, but realized something had been missing, "But I don't have my backpack."

"That's okay, I'll pack mine and we'll prepare for anything," She stated.

"But what if you-" He still felt worried, but Melissa stopped him from getting any further, "Oh, Milo. You're back to your old Milo again."

"I wasn't!" He lied, but later pushed himself up, "You're right. Bring it on!"

"That's the spirit!" The girl said her catchphrase.

* * *

The doorbell from the Lopez residence was ringing.

"Hey, Amanda, can you open the door!" Her mom called.

"Got it, mom!" She quickly ran downstairs and opened the door. And it was one of the dynamic trio.

"Oh, hi Zack!" Amanda was slightly surprised to see him.

"Hey, Amanda. May I come in?" Zack asked, and the girl slightly nodded and let him in.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Lopez. It's me, Zack!" The boy greeted, and the woman replied, "Oh, it's Zack. Take a seat!"

"That's nice of you, but I'm just talking with Amanda for a moment," He informed, and the mom agreed, "Okay then. As you wish!"

The woman left to the kitchen and let the boyband and the Hispanic girl had a small discussion together. Amanda was still curious for his appearance.

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

He looked around, "Um... has Milo and Melissa already left?"

"Yeah, they just left," She replied, "Is this conversation gonna be _that_ private?"

His expression then turned more acceptable: truthful eyes looking at the girl, he was getting serious, "Amanda, help me on this. You're the only one and I can't tell my friends about this yet, except for you."

He later revealed.

"I'm going to have a date with Melissa. Can you help me?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Milo and Melissa were wandering around the streets. Their catchphrase together is a poem you know.

" _We're walking, we're walking_

 _Nothing's gonna stop us, we're walking"_

 _(Refresh laugh)_

" _We're friends but we're like siblings_

 _It's a thing we do: we're walking."_

 _(Refresh laugh)_

"I'm never tired of reading this, you know," Melissa said after laughing a lot.

"Yeah, it's just really fun," Same to Milo, "We wrote this like four years ago. I was really amazed of your part, which is we're siblings."

"I like that part too!" She commented, "You're about five months younger than me. And we stick together like brother and sister, so we're siblings."

"That was beautiful," He complimented, before being interrupted by Melissa when she found her first place to take Milo to.

"Here we are, Milo!"

"The cinema?" He questioned, "Do you have tickets for a film, Melissa? I guess you're having a pair of those, right?"

"Ta-da!" His guess was correct, "You're right! I've got two just in case."

"You know, you make me remember of myself a lot," He stated, "When I had my backpack, and I was just like you, preparing and adventuring."

Melissa replied with another smirk, "You're not the only one to have an amazing backpack you know."

"You and Amanda," The boy said as he tilted his head, before they entered the cinema and kinda argued on what movie they should pick. At first, Milo would pick over a Doctor Zone film, but he left the decision to Melissa, and she picked another of their favorite film, 'Milly and the Menninkäinen: Friendship Developing.'

"Now this is a movie I can remember!" Melissa stated as Milo simply nodded, "We're walking, we're walking..." and hummed to a song.

Milo had got the inspiration of their catchphrase, "You got it! Awesome!"

* * *

"I'm going to have a date with Melissa. Can you help me?"

Those were the words from Zack asking Amanda for help. She was no surprised, however, and gladly accepted, "Okay, I can help! How do you want me to help?"

"Really? Are you gonna help me?" It was Zack who was surprised instead.

"Confirmed! I'll arrange the best date like you and Melissa never have," The girl said, as she pulled his hand and let him sit on the couch, so they could have a more comfortable conversation, as she did the same, "After all, arranging and scheduling are my things. But I have a question."

"What is it?"

"There's a reason for this request right?" She teased, "You never admit it to anybody, not even me. Well, I think Milo-"

"You're right," He sighed, "It was a sudden feeling though."

"This morning, if I'm correct?"

Zack nodded, his expression turned truthful, "Sitting on a bus and getting the first spot and the first T-shirt aren't really as fun as having someone to talk to. And Melissa is that someone."

"Oh, is that so?"

"I'm too scared to plan the whole thing by myself..." He confessed.

"Not too worry, Zack. When it comes to friends' relationship, I can organize a perfect date for them... But I'm not good at surprising so, I'll just have to let Melissa to the place where I set for you two."

"That sounds great!" He exclaimed, "Thanks a lot, Amanda."

"You're welcome. I think Melissa is hanging out with Milo for their best friend day after a long time," She guessed with her own sense, and didn't know if it was actually correct.

* * *

They had a good time watching the movie, proved by the guessing game after it, outside the cinema.

"The wolves got out of the bag, it's running round and round," Melissa asked Milo with a quote.

"WHERE'S MY GOLF BALL? WHERE IS TERRY? Oh there it is, it's round and round and the wolves... THE WOLVES?!" Milo followed it. They could do it for the whole day and remember all the dialogue.

"Ten to ten, Milo," the girl announced the score. They now were hanging out outside the cinema, playing games like kids always do, "You and me got ten and missed one."

"Yeah... that was fun while it lasted."

The boy stood up, prepared for next suggestion from Melissa, "So, where are we going next, Melissa?" He pointed to the cinema, "After Murphy's Law broke the banner and burned it right before the firemen came again."

"That is the second time of the day something burns," Melissa pointed out before suggesting, "Anyway, we should go to the Cream and Cake shop next to the Cream and Cake factory."

"That sounds great! Let's-" Just as he was about to exclaim, a tile on the ground made him trip over and of course it was Murphy's Law.

It was too quick for him to prepare anything, but Melissa did that for him. She used one hand to grab his right hand and the other grabbing his left hand from behind.

"Thanks, Melissa!" But they couldn't even celebrate, as Murphy's Law pushed him fall on the ground by force and let Melissa land on his back. The girl's face touched behind his neck while her whole front body touched his back. Milo from below her, almost yelped in embarassment, while Melissa laughed and teased from the top, indeed that they could stay like this forever.

"Friends hug, Milo. Friends hug!"

"In an uncomfortable way!" Milo exclaimed, face still planted on the ground.

"A Murphy friend hug, then."

"If you insist..." And it was Milo who made his move. He held Melissa's back so he didn't let her fall as he stood up and he held her whole body on his back. The girl was surprised but already got his idea and rolled her foot around his stomach to make it more sturdy.

And they had a good time together, Milo ran along the sidewalk and held Melissa on his back, like the old times...

 _After the whole incident with Melissa protecting him, Milo now was holding Melissa on his back, with her sleeping innocently and Milo kept walking as naturally as he could, not even paying attention to the hard, cruel rain pouring on them._

" _Milo..." She whispered to him, her voice was surprisingly better even after being hit hard by a large branch, suffering the rain._

 _She continued, "Hehe, I'm covering you again."_

" _Thank you, Melissa, but you know you don't have to," his voice raised a bit concerned for Melissa by the time she reassured, "As long as you're here with me, I can do anything."_

 _More tough words from Melissa,and Milo couldn't prefer it another way, "Me too, Melissa._

 _Me too..."_

The two were walking for a while when someone called Melissa, "Milo, can you-"

Milo already got what she said, "Got it!" He replied as he stood away from the girl a distance, mindlessly whistling to their theme song.

"Ugh..." she groaned to Murphy's Law, "Bars here..." she tapped the phone a few times before picking it up, "Hello?"

" _Melissa, it's me, Bradley!"_

"Oh, it's you," The girl flatly said, "What do you want? I thought you wouldn't say anything after losing a bet. And with the pencil thing."

"No, it's not about that," The glasses boy requested, "Actually, I need you to come over to my house and figure out something to play. It's boring out here,"

The girl obviously knew that was a lie. The main purpose of all of this was the girl herself, "No... Actually, I'm having a day with my best friend, Milo."

 _Her best friend? Milo?_ That was really infuriating to Braldey, but the boy at least stayed calm and tried once more, "Well, you always see him like every hour. I mean I don't even know if you and Milo are even friends... Anyway, can't you at least help me today?"

The girl rolled her eyes. He was such a pain to her, but also really pathetic. He didn't have any friends to play with, especially in this summer. Melissa however, found out a what she called solution, "I know! How about me and Milo coming over and you and us playing something together?"

But obviously, that wasn't totally in his way, "With Milo? Are you insane?"

"Yeah, you're busted," The girl smirked from the other side of the phone.

Bradley realized his act, tried to excuse himself, "No! I didn't mean that. I'm... sorry, Melissa!"

"Too late!" She exclaimed before yelled at the phone, "Say that to Milo instead!" by the time she cut off the phone call. He was more like a pain than a pathetic teenager.

Anyway, back to Milo. And she examined back to her phone. He saved it without thinking of himself. Was it just because their friendship, their bond? Maybe, but Melissa belived it was something more beyond.

Feelings of... romance. That emotion came right into her heart. It was pounding and she was good at keeping it without the innoncent boy noticing. Of course, Milo and Amanda were getting warmed up each other day to day, but how did she feel about this?

Coming alongside Milo for such a long time, had they ever felt something else more beyond their friendship? Had Milo ever felt anything more than just hanging out with her?

Then again, Milo has a crush on Amanda, and she never wants to interrupt between them. That will be very hurtful for both of them.

" _But why should I be worried?"_ A thought came to her. They're unique for who they are. Their relationship is still special even when they're not a thing like in the Menninkäinen movie they just watched. They care for each other even from a far distance. Each of them is a part of the hearts, and those parts can never be parted of them.

And finally got over the thoughts, she sighed before putting a smile to Milo and directed him to the next place, "So, Cream and Cake shop, Milo?"

"Yeah, let's go," Milo obeyed. But as a long friend of Melissa, he knew there was something wrong to the girl, or 'out of character.'

"Melissa? There's a small tear in your eyes? Were your just crying?"

Milo mentioned it, and she quickly dusted those off and said something else, "No... Sweat runs through my eyes, that's all."

He didn't reply back, just exclaimed a little bit before guiding Melissa instead, to a place which the girl had suggested.

They had a small run to the store, and surprisingly, Melissa won the run with Milo came to a close second.

And they had cake and ice cream. Beside tasting the flavor and the cold temperature, you know, how refreshing it brought to their tongue, they played with the cream by painting it to each other's faces, and with Murphy's Law, they had to clean the mess after that, but it was fun overall, as long as they're together.

"Melissa, your face still has the cream," Milo pointed his finger to her face while they were still cleaning, which she replied, "Oh yeah," She took it out by her finger and gave it to Milo's mouth, and the boy accepted it the flavor of it, "Vanilla. How is it?"

"Antastic-ferb" The boy replied with Ferb Latin.

* * *

Meanwhile, the sun had almost set. It was the time for the date? Yeah, why Amanda arranged it so soon, when tomorrow would make much more sense? That was the question in Zack's mind right now. He didn't have anything date-ish to wear, just his normal clothes. And all he had was a couple of blue roses. You'll see why.

"But is it okay to prepare things like this?" He walked along with Amanda outside the house, then to the place where the girl directed.

"You mean you're doubting my managing skill?" Her face turned unsastified, before turning to her delightful sense, "Don't worry, Zack! As long as things are on my hand, the cats are in the bag. I'm gonna take you to the Cream and Cake shop next to the Cream and Cake factory," She took out a picture of the place to Zack, which she took it from her small purse that Zack didn't know the girl was carrying along for the whole time, "There's nothing more than a perfect date with the couple eating ice cream and painting their faces with it. I'm sure it will be fun."

"I guess," he simpliy answered, "I think I'm ready for this whole confession."

"That's the spirit!"Amanda exclaimed, "Sometimes you have to go a step forward to change something."

"Yeah, like you and Milo," he smirked and teased, which made the girl blushed, protested, "No, it's not the same. Well, I mean, I'm getting warmed up to Milo since... but..."

"Believe me, you're gonna be fine in Milo's hands," he stated confidently. At least that was a sentence she could agree on, "Yeah you're right. Even with Murphy's Law, Milo's still gonna protect me-"

"And?" Zack reminded her of the latter half.

"I haven't finished yet, boyband," She said, "-and we'll share difficulties together. That's what I can do, at least."

* * *

"Finally, the last dust was got rid of," Melissa stated. Looking to the slightly red sky then, she looked at the clock inside the shop, "It's half past five, we should move out."

"Yep," He agreed before taking a look at his friend again. Melissa spotted that, and tried to face to the sky, complimented something about it and changed the topic, "Um... I love the sky right now. It's... kind of the same thing we saw from young age."

"You're right. It _is_ the same," He stated, "And you will probably cry right now."

"What?!" She turned back and faced him, her voice almost cracked, "You know?"

"Of course I know, Melissa," Milo turned a bit disappointed when his friend hided something like that to him, but then back to his usual smile. How could he blame the girl? "After you talked to Bradley, you took time to think about something. That's when I noticed you're thinking about whether you have a romantic feeling to me or not."

Her eyes were filled with tears then, but not like the old times, it was more calm, and happier, "I do have feeling like that," She said, while trying to dust the tears off again.

"Melissa, we're unique for who we are," Milo stated, "We have been friends for years and... I do wonder if I have a romantic feeling for you. And I guess it's on Amanda but... I just want to say something."

"Say what, Milo?" Her expression turned excited, eagerly waiting for the answer.

"That either friends or a couple, we'll always remember each other in-" He made a fist and pumped it to his heart, "-here.", indicated that Melissa is a part of his heart, and will always be his friend, forever.

The girl did the same, "And you'll always be here Milo. Best friends forver!"

"Best friends forever!" They said, and had a refresh laugh like they used to. Milo took the chance to wipe off her tears with his own napkin before the sign of moving on to each other's house.

And that's where the surprise came in.

"Melissa?" Zack blushed, exclaimed in surprise.

"Zack?" Melissa said his name, looked at his usual appearance with the difference was the flowers he holding.

Amanda didn't expect that, but she did have the surprise that time, _"Oh... she's here already."_

And from behind Zack, Milo spotted the managing girl. They barely said anything from behind the date couple and just did the eye roll and cues. Amanda had got a way to let the two alone: she pretended to have a phone call, and said the one who phoned wanted to meet Milo, and as the plan rolled, the two managed to walk off and let alone Zack and Melissa, as they had more time to figure out what each of them was doing.


	7. A Warning and A Power

The sunshine boy was being pulled by the perfectionist. Amanda seemed to have all the plans on her head, while Milo seemed confused.

"Hey Amanda, what are you doing?" Milo asked and realized they were talking at a dead-end of a street.

"Zack is having a date with Melissa," The girl still giggled upon this, and Milo gasped upon hearing this.

"Woah woah. What are you doing?" Milo questioned. His expression showed a confusing feeling to this, while Amanda grew a bit more worried, "What... where have I done wrong?"

The dramatic sound grew louder until it stopped, "No... It's just Melissa has been through a lot, and this happens will _definitely_ cheer her up!"

"Oh, yeah!" She cheered, but then realized something, "Wait, Milo? You've done something to her, right?"

"It's not what you're thinking," He stated, before examining around, "Um... we should leave from here. They're still a few meters from us."

"Oh, okay!" Amanda agreed with Milo, and they climbed over a wall nearby

* * *

Meanwhile, Zack and Melissa hadn't reacted anything since they met. They just stood there and made some simple reaction like.

"They just left us here, didn't they?" Zack flatly asked.

"I think," Melissa replied, "But what are those flowers for?"

"Long story, but it's going to be told soon," He then asked, "So, how was your day with Milo?"

"It was great!" She stated while wiping some tears out.

Zack spotted that, unfortunately, "And he made you sad, it was great?"

"No..." The girl punched right on his arm, "It's not something like that. Um..." Then she realized they had been standing and talking nonsense for the whole time next to the Cream and Cake shop, "Let's just sit right over here and talk, okay?" She sheepishly requested.

And so was Zack's attitude, "Okay..."

" _Come on, Zack... Just say it out!"_ He thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the evening, Cavendish and Dakota were having dinner inside the room of an old strip mall. They were discussing about the morning and the afternoon football match, but more importantly, they were thinking of the possibilities of the destination of Milo's backpack.

"What was the score between the Tigers and Privateers again?" Dakota asked while sipping the hot soup. He couldn't remember all the score and so on, but still interested in soccer.

"3-1 for Tigers, Haisak got a hat-trick," Cavendish informed. While with Cavendish, you could say it's vice versa.

"Whoa! How could you remember-" The disco man was about to ask again, but being interrupted, "No, no! I never feel interested in those. It's a pain. Well... like you remember Milo's bike!"

Anyway, onto the main problem they had been thinking for the whole day, "Anyway, it's been almost 24 hours since we began to find a clue for the missing backpack, but with all these useless clues we found..."

He then revealed a board full of photos which were connected together by red lines being drawn on with a crayon. There were footsteps of the thief, a pijama falling on the floor and many more, but... "it's useless!"

He continued, "And we have one last clue to discuss: the glowing blue light from yesterday that you saw and I saw."

Dakota began to be a bit infuriated, "Why do you save the most suspicious clue for last?! It makes no sense!"

Cavendish calmly explained, "Calm down, my friend!" and then felt infuriated as well, "It's because the writer here has skipped our morning and revealed the most suspicious clue for last."

And the writer aplogized for that.

"It could possibly be a time-travel activity. I just need to know who..." The British man said, "It could be from the Bureau of Time Travel: Brick, Savannah, or maybe Mr. Block himself!"

Dakota smirked, "He could vaporize us into the air if you said that."

"Doesn't mean we can't doubt that possiblity!" Cavendish however, wouldn't forget that possibility, "We ignored his mission last time, remember?"

While he was talking, Dakota was enjoying sipping the soup, "What?"

"Can you stop doing that for a while?"

"It's like I can't hear you," The man shurgged.

"Fine!" Cavedish sighed in defeat, "But the footsteps inside the room are pretty small, so I don't think it was him directly!"

"Do you think he sent Brick and Savannah over?" Dakota asked.

"It could be," He agreed, but there's something wrong about that possibility, "But Brick and Savannah are way too professional. They won't let any footsteps on the floor, or even a small detail like dropping a pijama."

Dakota then stopped enjoying. They were out of possibilities, "I don't know! Who could that be?"

"And that's not all!" Cavendish stated, "The real question is: why is Milo's backpack? What is their plan? And does it has something related to Milo as well?"

"Or it could be we had done something wrong to the timeline, and Mr. Block sent someone to do this as a punishment?"

The tall man then thought of Dakota's possibilities. It reminded him of an adventure when he, Dakota, their duplicated version, Zack and Sara on the way to the future to save Milo and Melissa from having any more trouble back to the present. Somehow he was the only one to remember all of that.

Dakota in this timeline didn't. And to solve the case, it was the time for him to reveal it all.

"Dakota... There's something I need to tell you."

"Huh? What is it?"

* * *

Melissa and Zack now spent the whole evening having a nice treat at the Cream and Cake shop, which is usually to be closed before evening.

Melissa was telling him all about the things happen to the Milo and Melissa's day.

"We painted ice and cream all over," She then spotted somewhere which made her feel a bit bitter, "And there's a drop behind my neck as well."

Zack was hearing it all. It was fun to hear all kinds of adventure with Milo and Melissa, _"It was fun! I bet they're having a good time._

 _But..."_

He couldn't hide his feelings anymore.

"Melissa!" He called her name out.

"Zack? What's going on? You're seemed such a hurry," She commented.

Zack let out a deep breath and a smile before revealing.

Melissa spotted that, and whatever the boy would say, she tried to assure him and let him express, "Just calm down, Zack. And let out that smile. I love it!"

"Melissa..." Straight to the words, "Actually, this is a date between us."

"Oooh," The girl was kinda surprised, then reacting weirdly calm for it, "Okay, and how do you feel about me, Zack?"

" _You too?"_ And she wasn't surprised with Zack's sudden move either, "I think you're cute and... like I said since the birthday but... without soft part."

"Phew... Now you get it," She then looked at the flowers, "So I guess those flowers-"

"Oh, right!" Zack interrupted her, said, "These are for you, Melissa. I pick blue roses because it's the color of your eyes. Hope you like it."

"Zack, are you kidding? I love it!" She commented, and taking the flowers and enjoying the decent smell from it, "But I guess the color should be brighter but anyway, that's really nice of you!"

"I'm glad," he flirted and Melissa was kind of ignoring it.

"Now that's the Zack I know. Wanna have some ice cream, sappy boy?"

"Of course, miss Blue. That will be the color of your face," He replied romantically.

"So, we have an ice cream battle now..."

"It's on!"

And Zack had felt better at least, _"Glad that was nothing."_

* * *

It was a 'silent night'. The sky was pretty dark and paths could be only seen with the support of lamp posts.

Milo and Amanda had been running for a while. They stopped nearby a practice stadium, wondering why haven't they reached their houses yet.

"Hey Amanda, do you have a map?" Milo asked, combining with his breath.

"Yes, I do!" And they sat down after a long run. Amanda took out her backpack, finding a map, "Here it is! We should be back to our houses in a few meters away."

The map caught fire after she read it, and Milo used a metal bar to get rid of it, but the map was unable to be rescued.

"If only we didn't take that cross from earlier," Milo sighed, reminding themselves about their act that afternoon, "That has been a long trip!" His eyes filled the feeling of being a bit dumb, and feeling sorry for the perfect girl herself.

"Don't worry, Milo!" The girl cheered him up, "It doesn't matter how long the trip has been. We're still here together, that's important!"

And Amanda got the sunshine boy back amazingly, "You're right! Thanks, Amanda! You always be there for me and cheer me up at the right time."

"It was nothing," she flattered, "That's the real you and I just want you to go in the right track."

While the two were preparing to set off again, there was a figure coming upon them. The sound of it was heavy, but it was dramatic.

The two young teenager minds thought that it was someone getting pass them in the night. But that someone actually called them out, "Hey, you two!"

"Huh? They exclaimed, as they looked at the figure in the light of the lamp post. She seemed to be a middle-aged woman, with eyes being covered and wearing a dark dress from top to bottom.

"I sense danger is among you!" The woman said, with a dull and mysterious voice.

Milo and Amanda exchanged a curious look, whispering.

"Who's that?" Amanda asked.

"I have no idea, but she can sense danger among me," Milo giggled over this, finding a bit unbelievable.

"It's not funny!" the woman stated, making their whisper to stop, "Murphy's Law is a normal danger. The real danger is upon you!"

"Like what?" Milo curiously asked, "Is it more dangerous than a llama stampede or... maybe falling off the cliff."

"No..." she shook her head, giggling a bit for his innoncence, "My boy, you're being seeken by an evil force."

Milo and Amanda gasped over this, both shouting, "Being seeken by an evil force?!"

"Correct!" The woman replied, "You've recently lost your backpack, haven't you?"

"You're right! But... how do you know?" Milo asked.

"Oh, I know..." She then carefully used her words to explain without giving them a clue of her true identity, "I am a special person who can sense all abnormal phenomenal activities."

"Abnormal phenomenal..." The teenage girl tried to pronounce the word, "Sounds mouthful."

"Isn't 'phenomenal' already 'abnormal' already?" Milo questioned.

"It doesn't matter. Listen!" Her voice turned even more demanding and serious than earlier, "I know who have taken your backpack. And those people are seeking you, and maybe _you_. I need you to stay at home and prepare for any circumstance."

"No way!" Amanda disagreed obviously, "Why would we do that?"

Milo doubted, "I don't know..."

"Hey, the Murphy kid. Look into my eyes!"

She commanded, as the boy looked straight to the woman's red eyes while hearing her saying, "Look and tell me if my eyes are truthful to you."

Milo did. It took them a few seconds, "Alright, I'll do it. It's not hurting to do such things."

Hearing the reasonable excuse from Milo, Amanda had no choice, "Fine... But even if I weren't their main target, I would still be there for you if you need anything, Milo."

The boy smiled and nodded, "Thanks!" then turned back to the woman, "So when will they come?"

"Tomorrow, if my information is correct."

The couple looked at each other questionably, "But what about Melissa's class?"

"Well, it's up to you, Milo," She stated, "It can possibly be a prank."

"For who knows... Anyway, I'll trust her this time," Milo said, "Um... excuse-"

Milo didn't finish his sentence, as it was interrupted by a total blank view in front of him.

"Where is she...?" They examined around and concluded that she had been... disappeared. Some lamp posts had fallen to harmony the unusual quietness.

* * *

Meanwhile, back to the old strip mall...

"What? You're not kidding?" Dakota asked unbelievably, as soon as hearing the whole story that only Cavendish remembering.

The British simply nodded, "That was kind of an adventure coming from a glitched temporal transporter."

"Mr. Block only wants to see our cons, doesn't he?"

"Anyway, I do wonder what he will do with us next," He wondered, "And his target at this point – Milo."

"We should warn him in pronto!" Dakota grew his worriness, but not in the right time.

"Hold your horse, pal," He prevented, "It's night already. You should get sleep."

They were about to sleep in each other's sleeping bag. But with the discussion they were going through, it was doubted they would have a good sleep. And Dakota knew he had saved Milo once by the words from Cavendish earlier, he was a bit of excited to do it again.

"But..." he was speechless while looking Cavendish shaking his head from his bag, he finally sighed in defeat. "Fine, tomorrow then," He said and went straight to sleep, "I mean, that boy won't be going anywhere for a night..."

The Brtitsh man smiled from his back, whispering, "That's my Dakota."

He quietly stood up, turning off the lights before having a good night sleep.

"Good night, Vinnie."

"Good night, Balthazar."

Cavendish said a sentence to himself, "Why do we call our first name in the good night again?"

* * *

It was 9:00 p.m. and Melissa and Zack were packing final stuffs before walking to home. Besides the usual talk, they were having a great time with ice cream battle.

"Alright, Zack, let's walk together," Melissa offered, and Zack nodded.

Zack requested this whole date at first, and he felt sastified for it, to know more about his best friend.

But... did all of that make him sastified?

Seeing how Melissa is close to Milo, there's no way he couldn't think any further.

"Melissa..."

She turned back to him, "Yes, Zack?"

The boy kinda faced down. He didn't mean to say the words he should say in a date, "Nothing..." then turning to face the girl with a smile, "It is fun to hang out with you today. "

"I think you're more sappy today but... whatever," She said, "And glad that you're joining for tomorrow. I believe tomorrow will be great!"

He then smirked, but his voice was kinda sadder than his normal tone, "I know. Can't let the whole summer trap you inside your house forever, am I right?"

Melissa got that, surprisingly came towards Zack and gave him a hug. The boy was too surprised to react. It happened real quick, as the girl released him and winked. "See you tomorrow, Zack. And that was one of Milo's lines," she said before running ahead of him, letting the boy stand like stone.

Zack didn't have a date he wanted, but he was happy after all, "Thanks, Melissa. I'm sure I will treasure our friendship," he whispered to himself, "What was I thinking? I'm fine with who we are right now."

* * *

Back to Milo's room where he had lost his backpack. He could still remember all the fuss from yesterday, a pain of losing his right arm. But he still had Amanda here. She would cheer him up with hers in the meantime of waiting for a new one.

Speaking of Milo's room, was Amanda still be with Milo, in Milo's room?

"Um... Amanda..." He asked the girl while lying on his bed with the girl sitting next to him, "You know you don't have to come over and wait for the time to wish me a good night, don't you?"

"You've pretty tired after the whole day. Besides, I don't have to wait anymore. It's time," She said before getting down from the bed and turned the light off. Being with Milo was very comfortable, she could stay along like every moment.

She climbed up again before pressing a kiss on his cheek.

"Good night, Milo. Stay safe with... all that warnings."

"Good night, Amanda," He wished in a sleepy mood, "Stay safe while going home."

"I will," she stated and jumped off from his bed and ran downstairs. The boy could hear her say goodbye to his family though.

And after Amanda got out of his sight, he went to sleep right away.

* * *

While Milo and Murphy's Law were resting peacefully in the bed, there was a quiet sound of a helicopter, and some ropes.

The two first-class agents were about to do a new mission: kidnapping Milo Murphy.

Infiltrating from above, all the two needed to do was opening the window, letting Savannah come in since she's good at being more quiet than Brick himself.

The woman rounded her arms around Milo and carried him carefully or Murphy's Law would be triggered. Brick from outside, was observing if there were anything broken.

In the end, it was a lucky day for them, indeed.

They prepared the positions, being carried up by ropes.

Savannah commanded the pilot of the helicopter, "Let's go. We've got him."

The pilot obeyed, and the two had finally finished their mission with a piece of cake, while Milo was oblivious with things were happening around him.

"This is way too simple for us," Brick said.

"Yeah, and we're using the best helicopter in case of negative probability ions spreading around," The woman stated, "Or Murphy's Law, as the belownees call."

But unbeknownst to the agents, a weird energy formed upon inside Milo. A shiny pink glowing light shined as it would always protect him anywhere, any timeline in a weird, fantasy way.

* * *

The sun had risen again, preparing for the next morning. Milo had a sleep like he never had before. It felt like there wasn't anything happen to him.

A small yellow beam shined into his face. He began the process of opening his eyes, yawning and slowly sitting on the bed right before whispering "Good morning!" to himself.

His vision were then clearer. He took a glance to his room and realized... "This... isn't _mi sala_?" Taking him a few seconds to look around again before hearing someone singing on a bed upon him.

" _It's time for danger, time for action._

 _Time for Doctor Zone."_

"Sara?!" Milo exclaimed.

The sound came so suddenly and almost made Sara fall out of her bed. She looked down from her second-story bed, "Milo?! What are you doing here?"

"I don't know!" He yelled, "I am supposed to ask you that. Are you listening Doctor Zone albums while I was sleeping?"

"Oh, makes sense," She said, "I've been listening to it overnight, and I can firmly say that I didn't do anything EVER!"

Milo nodded, "I see... So who brings me out here while I was sleeping?"

"You're lucky that this is a double bed, otherwise..." Sara tried to make a joke but Milo couldn't catch it, "Otherwise what?"

"Come on, brother. You know..." Then she sighed in defeat, "Alright, you don't get my joke."

"Why did you need a double-bed in your room in the first place?" Milo asked. He stood up and opened the door from the girl's room.

"It's for guests in case they needed it," Sara revealed and also jumped out from her bed, "And I feel like I'm never alone."

"Wow..." The brother exclaimed, "Didn't know you have a strong feeling like that. Anyway..." Milo ran ahead, "Who comes to the bathroom late is the chronological pinata!"

"Hey, no fair!" The Doctor Zone fangirl followed, obviously couldn't catch up with him.

* * *

The trio of Milo, Melissa and Amanda were walking and running ahead to a stadium where Melissa's dad pointed out. They were all in their Gecko uniform, but to make it less uniform-y, they wore different headbands and spot-on sneakers (well, except Milo).

"Milo got yellow, Amanda got red, and I got blue," The girl gave to her two friends the color of it.

"This looks fun already," Milo commented, and Amanda followed, "Giving different headbands is a great idea, Melissa! It really works out for calling different color instead of repeating our names."

"My dad," She flatly revealed, "But I thought of the color," and happily credited her part.

"But you have one more," the sunshine boy pointed it out, "What was it for?"

"You'll find it out..."

"Hey guys!" A small voice grew louder, and the person quickly ran towards them. It was another friend Amanda and Milo couldn't aware of him joining.

"And there he comes," She stated.

"I told you to wait!" Zack said, "Anyway, glad we all join."

"Zack! Now this is the best surprise of the day!" Milo exclaimed, "Melissa didn't point that out, you know?"

"He's right!" Amanda replied, "And more people, more fun, right?"

"I guess so... I mean..." He answered, "definitely!"

"Here's your membership card, Zack!" Melissa then handed to him a so-called membership card – a green headband.

Zack followed that joke of her, "I didn't know we have a membership card right here."

"It has your name on it. Let's run, you two!" She called Milo and Amanda to run ahead of Zack together, again.

Zack didn't have time to stop them. He followed her instruction to look at his name on it. And surprisingly, it says:

"Zack Underwood. Love ya, from Melissa."

And folllowing by a heart mark. It was... mixed. He was happy, but didn't know how to react with it.

And to think of it, Melissa was just playing and setting a plan for this after all. She pretended to call Milo and Amanda out to run off in front of him, teasing.

Now... that was... something.

* * *

 **A/N: It's been a long time guys! I've come back since last Christmas and after this I will be get more busy. Not that I don't try my best to update this story to you guys!**

 **Hope you like this chapter. What is that power coming out from Milo? I will explain later in further chapters. You guys are free to theorize it.**


	8. Amanda Seeking Milo (Part 1)

**A/N: Prepare for a really long chapter!**

* * *

Much to the first-class agents' confidence, Savannah had dropped the limo they assumed catching a boy named Milo in front of the Time Bureau, and Brick... he was having a good sleep.

With two robotic hands slapping him, he was awaken in a very uncomfortable way that Savannah had given in. The Dalton exmained himself, calling 'disgusting', "Ew, am I just drooling?"

"It's only been 30 minutes. Let's check the kid," the female agent called him out. They both checked the back of the limo, opening it up and seeing something that wasn't the thing they intended to see.

"What's this?" Savannah examined it, while Brick answered, "It's a dummy, you dummy."

The woman ignored that insult of him, checking anothert thing on it, "Wait, there's a message. 'You have just got Milo-ed'."

Being top-class agents, the two however didn't really get what was the meaning of that message. It sure had delivered for them some bad news indeed.

"This sounds familiar but I don't think I get the below meme," Brick stated.

"Whatever it is, we should get this back to Mr. Block and see."

* * *

And that command from Savannah made her really want to take it back.

"What? You two just got pranked? How infuritating!" Mr. Block didn't seem to happy with the first-class agents.

"I knew it!" Brick however, didn't mind his sentence and instead minding his own, "I knew it was the meme."

"Dude," Savannah elbows him, "It's not the right time."

Witnessing this fail and the stupidness they giving, Block couldn't help but sighed, "And I think I have a great chance to fire Cavendish and Dakota."

From here, his voice turned more dramatic, as he was trying to convince the two agents something. They exchanged confusing looks.

"I know, you two are really potential agents. You two will have a better future, money and fame," The old man's voice turned sadder, and slowly showing them his real side, "And just think, your dreams will come true if there aren't any jerks in your way, especially those two nut guards!"

The two agents had a clue to where it would be going, "I've come up with a plan to get rid off them. Of course, there's a reason, and it's Dakota and Cavendish have messed things up again. They made a serious change of the timeline without any permissions. Who do they think I am? A stand-alone dummy boss?"

The agents kept hearing the speech, with Brick secretly ate Time Chips and the chomping sound could be heard by Savannah. Without his reveal, they definitely knew where thier boss would end, "So, in order to make Cavendish and Dakota get out of our business, this is the chance I give you by my own hand."

Block put hands on both agents, and with a comfirmation, they accepted to try once more, "Yes, sir!"

* * *

Cavendish and Dakota packed one last thing in their small beige time vehicle before going on their journey to find the answer about Milo's missing backpack, and answer for themselves as well...

"Alright, let's check our checklist one more time," Cavendish announced to his partner, "Red Strings... of Fate? Where did you get this?"

"Check!" Dakota replied, "I was inspired with the name."

One thing crossed, "Goggles from Google," The British man gave to his partner an unamusing look.

He just smirked back, "Check!"

Another thing crossed. One last thing, "Pictures from Milo's adventures... Oh, I like this name."

"Check!" Last check had been done after Dakota put the bag of their stuffs, going on another investigation.

The two came inside the van, sitting on the only front seats and saying, "Here we go!"

The engine started for a while. Until a moment later, it stopped.

"You've flooded it, haven't you?" Dakota asked reasonably, when Cavendish gave him a yell, "I'm NOT flooding it."

A minute later, they tried starting the engine again, and it began to start smoothly, as the two time travellers were looking for the reason behind Milo's missing backpack and the connection between it and them.

"Now that was unusual," Cavendish stated.

* * *

Meanwhile, at a local football field, Milo, Amanda and their friends were having outdoor lessons from Melissa's dad – Richard Chase. What kind of fun activities would they receive?

"Hi kids and Murphy," Richard entertained himself by a joke he just making up, "Welcome to the summer class of fun outdoor activities. Our motto is 'Summer is fun when you get sunburn.' Not technically rhymed, but it's catchy."

"Dad?" Melissa noticed a difference of his usual outfit, "Why are you wearing your uniform like that?"

He looked embarassedly at himself before replying back, "Well, safety first, you know."

"It's okay, Mr. Chase," Milo realised what he was doing.

"Alright, we'll put that aside. Now, does everyone have the headband that I told Melissa to give it to you?"

"Yes, sir!" Milo, Zack and Amanda replied in unison.

"So yellow is Milo, red is Amanda, green is Zack, and blue is Melissa," The man listed everyone's color and was about to start the fun, "Everyone, give all your headbands to me."

The gang were all surprised. They had no idea what this fireman could intend to do, but from the look of Melissa, it was going to be exciting.

They put their respective strings inside a box, and instructions were given, "This will test your memory a little bit, and to see how much you can do a challenge."

He continued, "The rules are simple. I'll pick a random headband with your color inside this box. You have to remember which color you are, and if you are picked, you will be crowned as 'the king.'"

Melissa came in, "And you know, others have to do what the king says. For example..." she took out another piece of notes, which was written with numourous challenges and dares, commanding, "I demand yellow to do 5 push-ups."

Yellow is Milo, and he knew it was him, "Will do! 1! 2! 3! 4! 5! There!"

"And that's basically it. It repeats, the king will be choosen randomly, and he or she can command one to three people in a challenge"

"Thanks, Melissa!" Richard said while she was stepping down to the gang, hearing their reactions.

"Oh, this is a really great game!" Amanda reviewed, "It's like Truth or Dare, but in a different version."

Milo was just as excited as the perfectionist, "Yeah, I mean, what can go wrong with this small game?"

"Sounds interesting," Zack stated with a smirk, "I'm in!"

"Alright, if excitement is what you all agree, let's go straight away!"

"Yeah!" The gang shouted.

* * *

It was the 16th turn and this time, Zack had become the king, and weird enough, that was his first time. But the boyband knew what he was doing.

"I – the _King_ – declare yellow to sing my biggest hit," he said.

"You don't need to _imply_ the King," Melissa shot back before turning to Milo, "Anyway, Milo, it's Chop Chop Chop."

That challenge seemed very excited, as it was revealed in Milo's expression, "Oh, I love that song! Here I go."

"Wait!" Zack interrupted, "I'm not done yet."

"You're right," Richard was standing from behind Zack and noticed there was one more term in the 16th turn, "Go ahead."

"And while he's singing, one more person will come dance along with him. I will pick red for the chance," The boyband commanded once more.

The term coming out of nowhere made Amanda surprised. She blushed after knowing she had to dance along with Milo, her voice slightly cracked, "R-really?"

"Yes, Amanda!" Milo turned to her, making her to contact her eyes to his, "Just like in the song, you can do it."

With that motivation, Amanda got her confidence back, "Alright! You sing and I dance."

"Got ya," Milo winked at her.

While Melissa, Zack and Richard was being audiences and taking a look to their challenge.

"Oh, this is gonna be interesting," The fireman stated.

The music had been prepared. In a very Richard preparation, he had brought a soundbox, and the music was played from his phone connecting to it.

All things started, now let's root for Lumber-Milo-and-Amanda.

Milo started the singing voice, while Amanda was dancing confidently along with the music.

 _I know you're pining_

 _But every cloud has got a silver lining_

 _The leaves are parted, now the sun is shining_

 _And you're in my arms, that's why planets are aligning._

"This is fun!" Melissa commented while taping the whole scene.

Suddenly, a twist was made in the performance. While dancing, Amanda's fall due to Murphy's Law, and Milo had to keep her lying on his arms.

And because of that, they were rolling with it, with Milo had to sing and dance along with the girl. He knew it had to happen, but the early timing wasn't on his mind.

Milo kept singing and somehow, he felt more passionate than before. That was the result of the eye contact they gave each other.

 _My heart is strong, like a tree_

 _And you belong..._

Amanda almost yelped with those words, breaking apart and dancing solo, then following by her sigh.

"Now I remember," the girl laughed embarassedly, "Just do what we've been tasked for."

"Fine by me, the girl who followed me all the way to my home and gave a kiss to my cheek," Milo teased her a bit before continuing.

 _Baby, you belong to me_

 _Without you, I'm tied to the ground_

 _And if I fall, do I even make a sound?_

Zack and Richard enjoyed as planned, while Melissa was grinning so wide. The two copied the moves perfectly, and Zack imagined like he was looking at his own shadow.

 _Chop, chop, chop_

 _Chop away at my heart_

 _I can feel it fallin' (Timber!)_

 _And now we're never parted_

 _I know you, you've been there from the start..._

 _So baby, chop, chop, chop_

"Chop away at my heart" was Milo's line after the soundbox broke apart, which was also a great way to end the turn.

That was also a cue for Amanda. She stopped and caught breath. A feeling of tireness when she had to copy the exact moves.

It was fun still, and everyone in the audience seats applaused the two. Murphy's Law so far had fired a few piece of papers and some piece of net surrounding the local stadium.

"And another soundbox to pay, but everything is still fine as usual," Richard recorded, "Alright, you all have done a very good job. Yellow skipped one challenge though so..."

"I have to run five rounds around this field?" Milo asked for sure.

"You got it," he said before Milo getting a healthy 'punishment.' The fireman then turned to the other kids, "Well, memory is all for today. Be sure to get exercises for tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!" They replied in unison before Mr. Chase leaving.

Zack didn't feel sastify as much, "That's it? I have not even done anything hard."

"Relax, dude. My dad just gave you guys a trick," The orange-haired one stated.

"Wait for me, guys!" Milo yelled to them from far away, "Four laps left."

"So, what should we do while waiting for Milo to finish his laps?" Melissa asked and the trio thought.

"Argghh!" Milo screamed from behind, "Murphy's Law may take me a while. Amanda, can I borrow your backpack?"

The girl shouted back, "Sure thing!"

Melissa followed, "Well, you can stop now. My dad leaves."

"It's not that fun anymore when you haven't accomplished anything just yet," he stated.

Zack kind of laughed at Melissa, "Oh, Melissa, this is Milo – the kid who has the greatest perseverance in the world."

"I know that!" Melissa retorted, "It's just that 'perseverance' can get him tired easily."

"You're quoting again," now it was Zack's turn to be annoyed.

"That's me. You cannot change anything, Zack," the girl now smirked.

"Guys!" Amanda stopped them and breathed, "Arguing is not a way to kill time. How about I telling you guys me and Milo's story from yesterday?"

"Last night?" Melissa asked for the time, while Zack was already making the guess, "You guys are kissing again, aren't you?"

That quote of Zack made the perfectionist blushed, retorted, "No, I'm not..."

His girlfriend gave him a punch, "Why you..."

"Nah, I kid," He defended sheepishly, "I just thought that after what you had said to me yesterday-"

Amanda then interrupted, "Okay, I kissed him, on the cheek. But that is not the main subject."

"Then what, Amanda?" Melissa teased her, "That seems to be interesting by itself."

The Hispanic girl glared at her, "Not you too..." before starting her story, " It was 8:24 p.m., on the sidewalks around this same football field. Me and Milo were running to home then suddenly..."

* * *

Milo was still running and having taken three laps so far. He sprained his fingers on the first lap, but with Amanda's preparation in her backpack, he used her bandage to cover it.

In the meantime, there was a baseball training from preschoolers.

"You ready?" The kid holding the ball shouted.

"Yeah! Give me your best shot!" The kid holding a baseball had prepared.

And the kid behind him was in for a competition as well, "I will never miss this one."

And it began. The first kid threw the ball quickly, but the baseball kid had managed to hit on the target.

"Godness, nice job!" – "It's sad but that was really nice."

But the force from the throw combining with the baseball had launched the ball really far. It was clear in Milo's view, as it flew past his head and landed on a bush at an opened corner.

"Hey bro!" The kid called out the sunshine boy, "Can you get that ball for us?"

"Will do, kiddo!" Milo shouted back, as he went to collect the ball back.

The teenage boy looked around, but hadn't seen anything so far. Until he knew he was sprayed with somekind of gas. The awareness was too late, as he was unconcious and being grabbed by two anonymous people (who are so familiar to us).

Being pulled inside the push, weird enough, it didn't cause any scratch on his body. But one detail proved it to be wrong. A pointy branch made it in-between Milo's bandage, tearing it off and unbeknownst to Brick and Savannah, they had left the drops from Milo's inconsequential wound on the ground.

Once again, the two agents thought they had finished this so easily, and party plans were prepared.

"We're so gonna get rid of those two pistachioners," Brick stated.

"Not with that awful garlic smell," when Savannah could confirm that the Dalton man hadn't brushed his teeth this morning.

They were running until they reached their limo parked not too far from the field, getting in and using time travel.

This way, the kid can't get away from their hands that easily.

* * *

The story Amanda telling to Zack and Melissa was even more interesting. The perfectionist couldn't stop telling details and the couple couldn't miss hearing it.

The main purpose – to kill time – was now buried so deep in the ground... literally.

"Funituring from house to house is a great way to kill time," Scott stated while putting a disco ball inside _Casa de Scott_.

Anyway, back to Amanda.

"So she told us we would be in danger this day, today. And it was necessary for Milo to stay inside a house."

That indedd was a pretty epic scene. But to Zack and Melissa, it was unbelievable to the very least.

"No way. How can someone sense disaster forehead?" Melissa commented, "I don't buy it. Murphy's Law is unpredictable, not being used in a way to scare people off."

"Amanda, I know you feel worried for Milo," Zack came in to comfort the Latina, "But don't you believe this to be... you know... coming out of nowhere?"

The girl stood up, getting more serious to her reply, "Yes, I did. And I was the one who strongly convinced Milo not to believe this... abnormal phenomenal predictor. Or believe an A.P.P."

She continued once done joking, "But the way she said it was more serious than my voice right now. She even dared Milo to look at her eyes, proving her truthfulness..."

Melissa and Zack stood up next to her.

"I understand," the orange-haired girl whispered.

Zack sighed in defeat, replying, "Well, I guess a try doesn't hurt. Let just get Milo to do it, if not, someone is really misplacing April's Fools."

"Glad to hear your sympathy," Amanda thanked the young couple.

"We'll plan things with you and Milo, don't worry," Melissa said to her before turning to the field, shouting, "Oh, Milo! Have you done...?"

And the thing she seing was an empty view of the grass, which was used to be the path for Milo's laps. In the center, there were a bunch of kids training baseball.

"Where is he? He should have done his laps by now," Melissa voice grew more anxious.

"Don't tell that woman's rumor is-" Zack was about to say the prediction out, when Melissa stopped him right there, "No way! None of those is even logical."

Amanda suggested them the first thing, "Let's ask the baseball kids. They might know something."

The two nodded as they followed Amanda to ask the preschoolers gently.

* * *

Cavendish and Dakota had been driving for an hour, and now, they were about to meet Milo in front of the Murphy residence.

"I'm really worried for that kid," Dakota implied, "Hope there's nothing bad happen"

"Silly Dakota..." Cavendish, on the other polar, felt hopeful as ever,  
"Of course he would be safe."

"Now the only thing I hope is the Murphys will be the early people," Dakota said before ringing the doorbell.

"Milo? Are you home?" The disco man cried.

"Hold on!" Sara called from inside.

"Wait? Does Milo's voice sound a bit different?" Dakota questioned, and Cavendish then grew more anxious, "Oh no! Then that means..."

"HAS SOMEONE REPLACED HIM?" The two old men yelled and panicked all over the house.

The Murphy girl came out, raising an eyebrow in confusion, "Cavendish, Dakota? What are you doing?"

"AHHH! THERE IT IS!" Cavendish yelled, couldn't calm himself just yet, "HAVE AT THEE!"

"Hello, Sara!" The calm greeting came from Dakota, making Cavendish realize his act, as the two smirked.

"Ahem..." Now there's our British guy, "So... Miss Sara, I want to know where Milo is. We have some important information to tell."

"I'm sorry, Lord Balthazar," The girl teased him with a reply, "but Milo isn't at home right now. He is at a football field with his friends, doing some 'summer activites' or sort of that."

"And you didn't spy him anymore?" Cavendish shot back.

"No!" Sara retorted, "I mean, there is his girl, but I've quitted after Milo's backpack has been missing... because of me." She then turned down her voice.

"Look, don't blame yourself, Sara," Dakota came and comforted her, "All of those wouldn't happen if Cavendish didn't draw the way for us to go..."

"WHAT YOU SAID?" The man asked, glancing at him furiously.

The dolty-snackhound ignored it, continuing, "And that's why we're here: to fix _our mistakes._ "

"That's great," Sara couldn't calm her happy tears anymore, "The Murphys will owe you for all of your kindness!"

"Alright, less emotion more action," Cavendish rushed the two to go, "Let's go! And Sara as well. Lead us to the football field."

"Sure thing!" The girl got inside the backseat, and they headed straight to where Milo's summer class is.

* * *

"We did see him," The kid holding the ball said, "but when we asked him to get our ball back..."

"We didn't see him anymore," The kid holding the baseball followed, "Is he secretly getting our ball away?"

"No, he's not," Amanda shouted to them from the bushes nearby, "Here's your ball!" The girl threw it to the kids, much to their delightfulness.

"Wow, thanks, sis!" They gave her a thank in unison before leaving to somewhere else, leaving the trio alone inside the medium field.

"What are we doing now?" Zack question worriedly, "This is an unusual way for Milo to make an exit."

"Calm down! I'm sure it doesn't like that," Melissa stated, "Murphy's Law is unpredictable. Maybe he's somewhere in the bush."

And as unpredictable as Murphy's Law is, a familiar _perro_ came out from the bush.

"Diogee?" Amanda was surprised, "Didn't Milo tell you to go home?"

The dog shook his head, and instead, he leaded them to go through the bushes.

"Wait, where is he going?"

"I think he knows something," Melissa said, "He's the greatest dog in the world after all."

The kids followed Diogee. He ran around and sniffed on the dirt containing a very similar smell to his owner.

"He is sensing Milo."

"Speaking of which, is there a shortcut behind these bushes?" Zack questioned.

"I didn't know there was a passage way down here," the orange-haired girl stated.

The dog barked, went deeper to the path. The three kids curiously followed him. It led them to a sidewalk nearby, and in front of them was an empty view, just houses and no sign of any mishaps or destruction.

Diogee tried sniffing around but failed. He whimpered awfully, making the three kids feel even more anxious than before.

"This is not good," Amanda commented, "Even the greatest dog in the world can't find Milo."

"That means we have to find him again?" Zack complained, "I was tired for a whole day, you know?"

Melissa glared at him, which made him fix his sentence, "I mean, about missing Milo, we have to find him no matter what."

A small van came upon them, and later Cavendish, Dakota and Sara got out of the vehicle.

"What's going on here? And where's Milo?" the British spotted a missing member.

"Cavendish..." Melissa confronted him worriedly, "We... we've lost him. He has been missing again."

"What?!" Cavendish yelled.

"What?" Dakota yelled.

"What?" A woman lying inside the time vehicle yelled.

"WHAT?!" Sara yelled the loudest

"Sorry, Sara..."

"We have been talking while Milo was taking laps around the field," Zack retold the backstory, "We didn't see him come back after collecting a ball for some baseball kids."

Amanda followed, "And there was a woman who warned me and Milo about a disaster coming upon him-"

Dakota interrupted, "Excuse me, but you just said there was a woman who warned you and Milo about a disaster coming upon-"

"Yes!"

"Did you see her face? How did she look like?" Cavendish asked.

"You are a single man, I get it," Dakota smirked, trying to make a joke next to him, and Cavendish retorted, "NOT A CHANCE...!"

"She wears a black coat, and since it was evening, we couldn't see her face," the perfectionist described, "But her voice sounds a bit boring, and she can be serious at times. She even called herself as an Abnormal Phenomal Predictor."

"Hmm, that's strange..."

Cavendish said his reason, "Well, the reason we come here is to inform Milo about his backpack and warn him about the danger he may face with."

"That's exactly what the woman said," Amanda stated.

"It is?"

"Let that for later!" Sara grabbed everyone's attention, "We're losing our time. Finding Milo is our main priority!"

"That's right!" Cavendish confirmed with his British voice, "We won't lose our time as long as we have our time vehicle around."

"Alright," Amanda commanded, "Everyone, scatter around. We need to cover as much area as possible. Areas that are important to Milo, or having most of destruction as possible."

She directly pointed to each person, tasking them each direction, "Melissa, Zack, you go West. Cavendish and Dakota, East. Sara takes North and me takes South. Got it?"

"Right!" Both exclaimed as they scattered to seperated ways.

* * *

 **Melissa and Zack, West direction.**

"Milo?" Melissa shouted repeatedly, while Zack's task was asking people in each house if they saw a young boy wearing sweater vests and having his hair straight upfront.

"No, we didn't see him," said a man in a family, "It's a rare occasion to see a peaceful scene in this neighbourhood.

Unfortunately, that only brought down the room, "I get it. Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome."

The man shut the door when Zack left immidiately and reported to Melissa, "So how is it going?"

"50 houses in this neighbourhood and 55 people didn't see him coming," Zack reported, "What about you?"

The girl sighed, "My throat hurts. 50 yells and we didn't see him hiding anywhere."

"Here! I brought a bottle," The boyband gave it to her.

"Thanks, Zack!" She took it and drought with pleasure, lying down on a sidewalk nearby "It's relaxing in this calm scene though."

"Yeah..." Zack commented, following her "It's this peaceful neighbourhood relax our mind a bit after a disastrous day."

But the boyband quickly shaking that thought of, "And no, that's not like it! I mean, relaxing is fine. But I miss the time when we play together in a bad weather, and it's still fun."

"Don't you think so, Melissa?"

"You're right!" Melissa said, "I've already missed him."

Zack got up, putting a hand in front of her in an intend to get her stand up, "Well then, let's keep looking. I'm sure we'll find him very soon."

The girl nodded, grabbed his hand, "No! I believe that will happen!"

"Now, Amanda said that we needed to go to the places that are important to Milo," The girl then got an idea, "I know exactly a place!"

"Where?!" Zack asked curiously, but his hand was quickly grabbed by an exciting Melissa, as she ran ahead and didn't care how her pull affected the boyband.

"Just go and you'll see."

* * *

 **Cavendish and Dakota, East direction.**

Now they reached in front of the very Milo school, Jefferson County Middle School. Little did the students know how quiet the school was after they had welcomed a new summer to them.

And this place is important to Milo for another reason.

"This is it, Dakota," Cavendish recalled, "This is the place where we fought those Pistachions and saved the world."

"And after 502 houses we've been scanning, this is the nearest place from the football field we have to scan."

"Again, why don't we look for this place in the first place?" Cavendish questioned the stupidnity again, which the colorful shirt man replied, "Ask it to the man who say Milo will be fine after all."

"Alright, I was wrong and I will fix it," The British commanded, "You and I have some Milo pictures. I'll go and look for him outside. You look for himside the school. Got it?"

He immidiately left, not even waiting for Dakota to agree.

"This man... hearing Milo missing and bam, he is such in a hurry."

* * *

 **Sara, North direction.**

The Dr. Zone fangirl had just picked another important place of Milo.

It's a comic shop, where Milo always picks up Sara's favorite Doctor Zone comics during her time at school. Coincidentally, it's also the very comic shop she met someone...

"Hi, Neal from the comic shop," Sara flirted.

"Hey, Sara from the comic shop," Neal acted the same, "So what makes you come over this Tuesday afternoon?"

"You won't believe it. My brother Milo has been missing."

"Missing?" He exclaimed, "Isn't that an usual thing for the Murphys?"

"Yes, but the sign of no disaster or any mishaps is getting on my nerves!" Sara yelled, which made the people look at her.

Neal embarassedly directed her outside the shop, continuing the conversation, "The normal people would kill you if you said that. You are a Murphy girl, Sara. A unique one."

"Really?" Sara blushed, _"He doesn't know what he is saying, does he?"_

"I'm taking a shift with another employee in the shop, so may I offer you for a ride, or an adventure to look for Milo."

The offer from Neal made the girl really happy. Of course, it was accepted, "You got me! Let's go to the North."

And so, on a comic teenage boy's motorbike, two comic fans were taking a trip to find another comic fan called Milo. It was more of a chance to go dating than a real finding trip though.

* * *

 **Amanda, South direction.**

It was funny to her that she was worried when Milo was around at first, but knowing him, she now felt worried when he wasn't around, or missing. And it's even funnier when she used a lot of ways to find him. The first example is a traditional way - making posters and sticking it to lamp posts and walls. She even asked Jim and a few officers about a missing Murphy – they either ignored it, or they really didn't even know a thing. How dare they called themselves polices?

She had come across her house, since it was in her same direction. But realized that there wasn't any disaster caused, she stopped looking. At least this house reminded Amanda of her memorable birthday: lots of friends and joy had been made. But there was the most important thing: Amanda and Milo were now friends and they had grown more interested into each other since that day. They were dancing some pretty moves together. They even kissed each other passionately, and luckily due to Murphy's Law, most of the people didn't spot that.

Now her last place to find him is also another notable place of Milo: Coyote Woods.

"This is the place where Milo and Zack were running through on their first day of school," Amanda informed herself before sighing, and taking her steps in.

Only she was pulled back and being interferred by a strong woman. She knew it due to the softness of her hands while she was grabbing her shoulder.

"What was that for?" The girl turned back and yelled, "It's you again?"

It was the mysterious look from the day earlier, with an exception of her lips being revealed, smirking, "So, is my prediction correct?"

Now Amanda had to admit it, the woman wearing a black coat covering her eyes was right, "You're right... I should have told Milo to do what you said."

The woman turned softer, in order to comfort the perfectionist, "I know it was supposed to happen. So don't blame yourself then. The problem right now is that we have to save Milo from the kidnappers"

"You're right! But may I ask again," Amanda then asked, "How do you know this was supposed to happen? Is that an ability of an A.P.P.?"

"A.P.P." She tilted her head, and the young girl explained, "Abnormal Phenomenal Predictors, I came up with that name."

"Oh right!" A sudden move was made, the woman took the coat off her head. It was revealed to be an emotionless woman, wearing glass and having grey hair. We all know who she is, right?

"This is more comfortable," she stated, "Now come on!"

And with a reveal from Gretchen, Amanda obeyed and followed her back to where they started to scatter.

"Isn't this the place where I began to command everyone?" The girl questioned, "What are you trying to do?"

"Hold on! I am calling her out right now."

"Her?"

Gretchen pressed a few buttons on her smart watch and in no time, a black time travel vehicle appeared in front of them. Amanda was amazed by the whole view.

"Is this 'her'?" – "Yes… apparently."

"What is B.O.T.T.?" she questioned, but Gretchen didn't answer, "That's for another conversation. Now get in."

The woman quickly got in, but turning back and seeing an ashtonished Amanda, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Well, I don't know if I can…"

"Sure you can!" She offered with a cheerful tone, so as to get Amanda in the car, "Do you want to save Milo, my girl?"

"Yes, definitely! I miss Milo, even if he's just missing for a morning…" Amanda stated, "I want to take him back! And no one is gonna stop me!"

"I see. Well, get inside quick!"

The girl agreed, as she got in the best seat inside the car, as the driver began to start the miracle.

"Here we go!"

A shiny white light appeared, made the girl cover her eyes. Until the sound was quiet and she could feel some sort of elevator music around, she checked and saw around the car was now some sort of time-space flow.

A mixture of green representing for time and violet represeting for space, and a bunch of floating clocks, flying freely without the help of gravity or any kind of physical activities.

"Wow…" Amanda felt amazed once again, to the very scene she first saw, "Is this what Milo has told me about? Time travelling and adventure?"

"I wasn't there with him though, but it sounds believable," Gretchen replied, "Welcome to the time stream."

"So this is a 'time… stream'," She then asked, "And what about those clocks? And this vehicle?"

The woman giggled to her curiosity before explaining, "I can explain it all day."

Her voice might sound a bit boring, but to Amanda and the task of rescuing Milo, those were important information to know, "We are inside the time stream with the help of a 'time vehicle', which is the car we're inside right now. And those clocks are the energy for all the time travel activities. It contains a chemical element called 'time juice.'"

"Time juice?" The girl questioned.

Gretchen continued, "Yes, 'time juice'. It's like gas for motorcycle and cars. In the time travel case, it's used to generate power for vehicles. A very normal vehicle will be able to time travel with time juice and some other functions."

"Oh…" Amanda exclaimed, "And I hope this day can't get any weirder. So what is happening to Milo? The reason you bring me along to time travel is to find Milo across time?"

"Yep." The dull woman simply agreed, "It's time to tell you what you and Milo will go through."

"Me and Milo will go through?" It sounded romance to Amanda, but her tone was scary.

"You hear me clearly. It's not as lovely as you think. What you'll go through here is an organization of time travel in the future called Time Bureau. Due to a violation of time travel from two certain employees…"

"Cavendish and Dakota?" Amanda guessed, and it was confirmed, "Can't be more accurate. But the organization picked a rather wacky solution. They choose Milo as a prey to lure the two time travellers in, since they knew Milo has a very close bond to Cavendish and Dakota."

"We all know that!" She shouted for the crime, "They seem very selfish!"

"I know. That explains why Milo's backpack is missing, and now it's Milo himself."

"But why would they have to do that?" Amanda asked, "After all, it makes no sense to use an innoncent person as a prey for someone to get into their trap."

"According to my investigation from days ago, I can tell you this…" Gretchen slowly revealed, "Since the timeline violation was made… they're not themselves anymore."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"My boss-I mean… the boss of the organization shouldn't have known anything about the violation," She explained, "He was more dumb than you thought. And the agents he sends over, they are acting carelessly, crazy and eating a lot. They're not who they are anymore."

"Oh, I see…"

"Well, we will let the talking for later," Gretchen said, "Now hold tight your seatbelt. We'll jump into 2175."

"Yes, ma'am!" She exclaimed, as another shiny light appeared before them. And the view right now was a morning modern future. The girl's eyes grew sparkling stars to the magnificence of the future.

"Welcome to 2175!" She stated.

"Wow!" Amanda quickly got out of the car, strolling to some features, "Colorful houses? My favorite chocolate bar? No fence for the amusement park?" Her excitement turned down a little bit, "And, no one?"

"It is afternoon right now," Gretchen stated, "There will be a few in the evening, but that's all about the future."

"That's sad. I didn't expect the future could be this quiet. But that will make us find Milo easier, right?"

"Yeah!" The woman agreed, then pointing to a tall building nearby being covered by two house blocks, "We'll just have to go to the tall building over there."

* * *

 **Danville, around 2015**

The sun had almost set and everyone gathered back to tell the result of the town scanning. They all got the same report.

"Cavendish, Dakota, have you seen him?" Melissa was the one to ask first.

"No, we didn't." – "Sadly no. What about you?"

"Not in our side either," The girl sighed, then Zack followed in a sad tone, "This case seems tougher than before. It's just... nothing."

The sound from a motorbike grew louder before stopping immidiately. Sara and Neal were about to report.

"Sara and Neal from the comic shop. Have you seen Milo anywhere?"

Sara just shook her head and so did Neal, "Next time, just call me Neal."

The girl then turned to Zack, confessing, "Zack? Now what do we do? I'm worried."

"I am worried for him too, Melissa. But no matter what happens, you just have to believe that he will be fine."

"You think so?"

"It's the least I can do," The boyband then offered for a hug, "Come here! Let me ease your anxiety."

And they both gladly accepted it, with Melissa was the most relaxed one, "There, there, right there, Zack! I did feel relieved."

"Ahem!" The British called their attention back, "Not to interrupt your sweet moment but... has anyone seen... Milo's friend girl maybe..."

"Amanda?" Now he mentioned it, "AAH! Zack! Where's Amanda?"

"You're right! I don't see her anywhere."

"Maybe she hasn't come back yet? Now we're having two missing people!" Sara stated

* * *

 **2175**

Gretchen and Amanda were now standing in front of a magnificent building of time travel.

"Wow, this thing is so huge," But there was no time for Amanda to amaze anything, "But this isn't the time for me to look at the scene. Looking for Milo then taking him back, those are two things I'll have to finish."

"Great show! Let's go."

They ran inside without a sweat, and reached the parking lot outside the buliding. Just as Gretchen expected about the fixed Brick and Savannah...

"They weren't here," Gretchen stated.

"The kidnappers?"

"Right." The woman replied a bit tediously, "They used to work faster than this"

Just as soon as she mentioned the agents, the smell and the siren of time travel appeared, as their time limo parked nearby.

"Quickly, hide!" The woman guided Amanda, and both were hiding in a vehicle nearby in order not to get themselves attention.

While hiding, they didn't forget to look and hear the conversation.

" _This kid is heavier than I thought," said Savannah._

" _I don't know about you, but lifting him is like lifting a pile of sand," Brick followed._

"Oh... and I am so making him to regret it," Amanda complained.

"Calm down, girl," Gretchen calmed her down, "Let your energy for the rescue mission."

They both walked to the backdoor from the building, which didn't open until someone stood nearby it.

"You're ready? I know this is your first mission, and you may not do well, but this is for Milo, and for the timeline itself."

"I'm ready!" Amanda simply replied.

She let out a long sigh before taking a step forward, and one more.

" _Milo, please wait for me! I will be saving you in no time!"_

* * *

 **Author's Note: I KNOW! I'm sorry to let you guys hang in there, but that's how this chapter is supposed to be! Hope you guys will be excited and eager for the next one, because I've tied in a lot of details in there.**

 **Stay tune! Follow, fav and review!**


	9. Amanda Seeking Milo (Part 2)

The old backdoor of the building opened, as expected. It was a path with barely any lights, and... well three paths actually, and it looked like it was used for the first time.

The perfectionist Amanda, along with the woman named Gretchen who called herself as an Abnormal Phenomal Predictor, were calmly walking inside.

Gretchen held in her hand a small flashlight. With Amanda, a small light shining the path ahead apparently was enough to save Milo.

Block usually doesn't like to discuss anything inside a dark room. That changed right after they eavesdropping the whole conversation.

The two were reporting the statistics of their mission, and patiently waiting for Block's decision… oh, I guess it wasn't that long.

"Good! Now send him to the jail of time travel," He commanded, "We will lure Cavendish and Dakota to come later."

"Yes, sir!" It took Brick and Savannah themsels to bring a teenage boy called Milo from the main office to the jail. It wasn't that far from the office as well, as in Gretchen's memory.

And the lights were turned on. They felt relieved that nothing serious happened, and they were too quiet for anyone to be recognized.

"What now?" Amanda whispered to the woman.

She replied, "Well, Block is now leaving the office and his view to the front door. So… let's follow the agents."

The young girl obeyed, as they were both doing their tasks: following without making any noise, and have to keep a close enough distance to the agents.

"Don't worry, I know the safe way we can go inside the jail. You just have to stay calm."

"I know that," Amanda stated, "Don't rush me!"

* * *

And their adventure was calmer than they thought. Except for Brick and Savannah, there was no one watching them from behind.

They were walking inside a jail in the future. Though all the walls were cleaned, there were just some light bulbs hanging on a wall, and in each room, there was a window so the people trapped inside could breath... not as much different as jails from the present.

"And I thought those two were going to be tough," Amanda discussed to Gretchen.

"Yeah, told ya. But now we have to find him. And it's not going to be easy in this dark jail."

"Don't bring the room down!" The girl suggested sheepishly, "We know where he is now, don't we? Right?"

"I hope so."

"Uh... guys?... Anyone?" A male voice called, and the gals both knew who that guy was.

"There he is!" Amanda was about to run into his room right away, but Gretchen put a stop to it, "Wait! You wait behind me."

"Huh?" The girl titled her head, wasn't certainly sure what she was tryin to do.

The woman ran ahead first and reached Milo's room.

"Hey there, stranger I didn't know..." said Milo, "Seems like you're trying to rescue me with this... super cutter, I guess..."

"It's the only thing I have, kid," Gretchen replied, "You're now in the circle of a long story," before she finishing the rest of the iron door.

"Your voice sounds familiar..." The boy thought of who that voice could be from. He then figured out in pronto, "Wait... You are the woman I met yesterday, right?"

The dull woman simply nodded, "And I come with a little rescuer."

She revealed the Latin girl from behind her back. Knowing her plan while she was cutting the door, Amanda quickly came in for an embrace on Milo.

"Milo!" – "Amanda? But how did you-"

"Milo!" She called his name again, embracing like she never was, "I come here to rescue you. You have made me and everyone so worried out there. I miss you a lot."

The boy could hear her voice mixing with the tear of happiness, joy, and several other synonyms.

He made a move with his arms wrapping around her shoulder, "There, there, Amanda... I don't know what exactly has happened to me, but now I'm here, don't worry."

Gretchen couldn't calm herself, whispering, "Guess I will let them stay for a long shot."

"I don't know..." The girl confessed, "I killed time by telling story to my friends and let you taking laps before you were caught by someone."

"Caught by someone..." Milo and Amanda were now facing each other, hands still putting on shoulders, "I remember collecting ball to some kids but after that, I've got no clue."

"You were caught by some sort of time travel kidnappers," the girl warned, "But don't worry, we are here now." Her speech was interrupted by a door collapsing into pieces, "And you will be back to us in no time."

"Oh, Amanda…"

Gretchen reached closer to the kids, "Okay, now we will just have to get outside and…"

Just as she said, some sort of power coming from Milo made the trio being teleported from inside the prison to outside the building.

"Wow, it is easier than I thought."

"What was that?" Milo questioned, but since it didn't help, the boy lit up the room, "Anyway, anyone wants dinner? It is supposed to be dinner back at my house."

Now all the missions had done, all Gretchen needed right now was to finish this rescue as soon as possible. A part of her was afraid her cover would blow sooner or later. Another big part told her to get over with the kids.

Her act of heroic had been over.

"Uh... we should go quick until someone sees us. Or our effort would be wasteful."

"Hear ya!" Milo agreed, "Can't let my own eager of dinner delay everyone's time, right?"

"What's wrong?" Amanda asked Gretchen, "You seem to be..." she repeatedly poked her fingers for the right word, "what it is called."

"Boring? No... That's my usual character," Gretchen stated.

"Amanda, you're kind of insulting her," Milo got Amanda realized to her ears, which later she made an apologize, "Sorry..."

"That's fine. I get used to it," The woman stated before quickly guiding the two to the time vehicle, "Again, it's two blocks away."

* * *

The three made it to the vehicle with a weird mark of B.O.T.T. on it, although the couple didn't take that in their mind much.

But a few problems had appeared. Three problems... Firstly, some tires were flat. And it didn't matter anyway since all they needed to do was time travel anyway, not depending on the wheels importantly

Secondly, it ran out of gas. Or time juice, to be correct. Now the wheel problem is coming out of play. They had no choice but to assign someone to walk to the time travel store.

And finally, some leaves got stuck inside the engine for no reason. Being a well perfectionist like Amanda, Gretchen didn't find it pleased like at all.

"Guess we'll stay for a while," The woman stated, "I have to find a vacuum cleaner and suck all the leaves out."

"You're a perfectionist as well?" Amanda asked, which Gretchen replied, "For your information, I always clean up my room in the morning, eat breakfast and fill up the schedule of work for my bo- I mean, for myself."

"That's so great!" The girl exclaimed excitedly. It was like she's now having another fan of perfection to talk, "I think you and I can make a sitcom. _Duo of Perfecto._ "

It's filmed in one of the live studio audience from the author's imagination.

The woman simply smiled, "I will take it as a compliment."

After she said it, the trio then heard a loud crack coming from the tree.

In the first place, Gretchen intended to pick a shady place to park her car, and it was conviniently placed on the sidewalk and under the cover of a tree.

And that tree was about to crush her car completely.

"I got this!" were Milo's words before he made a striking push onto the car. It was driving on itself until it got crashed on a large building nearby.

Luckily, no one got hurt because of the pile of leaves. And Gretchen was no word at this, while Amanda had seen worse in her whole life whenever she hangs around with Milo.

"That's strange," the woman said, "I can confirm this tree has been standing for over a hundred years and it won't collapse for over a hundred years."

Amanda explained, "That's just Milo Murphy's Law. Right Milo?"

Gretchen raised her eyebrows, "Murphy's Law?"

Milo then explained in his usual accent, "It states that anything that can go wrong near me, usually will."

This widened her eyes in ashtonishment, "Interesting…"

She suddenly grabbed her head, probably feeling pain or something like that.

"What's wrong?" Milo asked which she answered, "Nothing… I remember something similar to it, but I can't right now."

"Alright, enough chatting," Amanda stated, "So what should we do about the situation right now."

She sighed. This would be a longer trip than she imagined it was, "Guess I have no choice. You and Amanda, pick a spare alternator and some glass for me, and some time juice as well."

"Oy, those are a lot, but… don't worry!"

"Why don't we share assignments? Wouldn't it be easier and faster?" Amanda questioned.

"There's another important mission I have to do for you two. So in the meantime, you can find something to eat," She stated before giving them seventeen dollars and then left.

"But what about your car?" He shouted, and the woman replied emotionlessly, "Just leave it right there. No one would borther taking it."

They looked curiously to the woman as she eventually disappeared in their view.

And it was their turn to set off to find the stuffs they needed. Wish the kids prepared better for the stomaches.

* * *

It was two o'clock sharp in the future – five hours late, or even nineteen hours sooner than the present. Besides birds chipping and leaves breezing, it was a death silence. Modern buildings with no people, outdoor parking meters with barely any cars, even something remained the same to that woman's van.

The two teenage kids, hunger for dinner and considered themselves as nothing to a poor gawking crowd. But whatever happens, the only thing matters to them is the nearest togetherness.

They met each other in the first day. A Murphy boy developed a crush on a girl obbessed with perfection. Having their differences in the very first interaction, however, Amanda started to grow a feeling on him.

A feeling of, perfect. Just perfect.

She would never be perfect without him. It's like they were born to be perfectly together.

Yes, that was crazy.

That birthday changed everything. At first, she just wanted a casual talk, a calmer way to contact to the boy. He would love to do that, the girl believed. Then all of a sudden, Milo's backpack was vanished, and she agreed to let him show her the way of using one. Later it was proven not being correct, so mostly Milo will use anything Amanda can possibly pack.

In the shiny but quiet town of future Danville, how could the two possibly find a spare alternator?

"Do you have one?" asked Milo doubtly.

"I wish, but it was too heavy," said Amanda. She reached her hand inside to find something. It was a small purse but with no money in it.

" _How did it get here?"_ She thought.

Milo put the money inside without anyone's order, since it makes total sense.

"What?" questioned Milo when his girl looked at him curiously. After seeing lack of emotions in the area – no sadness, no delightfulness, no happiness, no tears, nothing – Milo suggested for a topic change.

"How about we getting noodles to eat for dinner?" he suggested and took charge of her purse, "Having full energy before buying something."

"Mhm." She nodded before walking along with Milo to the spaghetti dining where Dakota had taken him to secretly protect a pistachio can.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gretchen's plan was coming back to the Bureau as the usual accountant. No one would ever grow a doubt on her.

It was quiet, really quiet. Maybe it was due to summer, but not in the adult's terms.

Anyway, with Milo having been saved, the last target for her was none other than… the old thing she had encountered with since Amanda's birthday.

Milo's backpack.

Mr. Block's office was too familiar for her to get bored with. Though it's needed to say that finding anything inside the room and stealing it are the two last things Gretchen will do.

Finding it wasn't a matter. The problem was how she would keep herself out of Mr. Block. How will she know when he comes closer to the room, and enters it with ease? Letting the door hanging open is also part of her plan, not to cause any suspicions.

For one, she had given the backpack to him, but never thought he could hide it so carefully. Many drawers leaning on the walls, an unusual large space beneath an office table, but nowhere the backpack could be found.

Suddenly, foot steps were heard. And she believed it was Mr. Block. No one would dare to step in his room without permission, which she had it spare.

Gretchen carefully tidied up the mess she just caused, leaving the room too normal to doubt anything

Mr. Block came in, and she greeted him as usual. It is barely surprise to have his assistant inside his room all the time.

"So, Gretchen," He caught up with a normal conversation, and since he was in a good mood that day, "Having too much vacancy, haven't you? I was about to call you in but it seems you're one step ahead of me."

Gretchen didn't give a reply and nodded instead. She was paying attention to the backpack. At last, it was finally appeared in front of her view.

It was lying behind his back.

" _No wonder... Almost broke my favorite drawer because of him,"_ She thought.

That day, Block gave her a disappointing expression. Sure, all this time it wasn't directly on her. And that time, his expression told that he wanted to compare nothing from her with something successful.

He gave a loud sigh before announcing, "Let's get to the point already. I have some pretty _good_ news for you."

" _Good news? Why did he emphasize that word? Is he in a good mood or has my plan been spoilt?"_

"The thing you couldn't do is to get the Murphy boy back here. And Savannah and Brick, our two first-class agents have done it instead," stated Block sarcastically, "Isn't that good news, Gretchen?"

The woman just laughed back sheepishly, "Heheh, yes... it does."

" _Did he just drag me down and not know anything about Milo? 'Cause that didn't work with me, dear boss..."_

It was her turn to offer, "So... can I take you to your bed? You seem pretty tired after the hunt, right? And tomorrow, there will be a judge to ask Milo- I mean that kid- some questions about Cavendish and Dakota."

"That's fine. I will check him out once more before taking a nap," said Block. A moment later, he suddenly threw the backpack back to her.

It was surprising to Gretchen, and conviniently to her plan. But a follow-up question for not growing suspicions, "Sir? But why...?"

"There aren't any useful stuffs in there," he said, "And we've got the main character so we don't need it anymore."

He walked away until he was out of Gretchen's sight. Her covers weren't blown, and a surprising gift fell out of the sky.

"That was... easier than I thought."

* * *

Afternoon isn't the best time to have spaghetti. And to Amanda and Milo's need for dinner, it didn't matter anymore. Both carefully appreciated every bit of the bowl. The girl used chopsticks in a perfect way. Milo used spoon instead. It was the third one, since two were broke from Murphy's Law.

And to think it was all perfect for her then suddenly... Two pieces broke from the chopsticks, and sending a long string of spaghetti on her face, while the two pieces falling inside the bowl in a flash.

Milo simply smiled while she exclaimed it in a Milo fashion, "Murphy's Law, hopefully."

"Sure was," said Milo before he gently leaned his lips closer and took the end of the string, pulling it inside his mouth.

Seeing him do it is pretty cute. But for a moment, the girl thought he was going to kiss in her cheek before taking the whole string in. That was where Amanda had a trick to fill in.

She waited until the other end came near her lips, taking it, much to Milo's confusion. His eyes widening said it all.

"But... am I supposed to take that out of yours?" He could know which scene they were in that time: a young couple holding a string of Spaghetti in each end. The confusion dominated, even an obvious act couldn't be realized that quickly.

The girl nodded, agreeing him to just pull it in, since she didn't allow herself to talk.

" _Isn't that a 'yes'?"_ he thought.

Milo himself wasn't exactly sure that reply. He did his mission anyway as a 'yes', and Amanda did the same. The gap was becoming smaller and smaller in the speed of sound, before their lips contacting.

And that's what her plan all along.

Forcing lips on Milo isn't a normal thing. Yet Amanda had to do it with spaghetti or something like that… It's unusual but at the same time, getting a new feeling to their romantic tease.

The girl quickly cut her string and found her tounge inside his mouth. Everytime he tried getting rid of the spaghetti, she triggered him by pulling it back. It was no use to let the perfectionist enjoy it all, with the somehow worried expression appeared in Milo, she let him have the string before they officially closed their eyes and enjoyed it.

But something was wrong about it, making Amanda to pause it.

And at the time she released, she saw Milo with worriness dominating his small blush and a temporary smile. His tounge didn't enjoy her treat as passionate as the first one.

"Milo?" She titlted her head, "Feeling good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" said Milo. Realizing his cracking voice, he wouldn't want to hide it in anyway. He lift up his head to face the girl before continued, "I'm… I'm sorry, Amanda-"

This shocked her, "Why did you say that? You didn't do anything wrong," She shook her head, trying not to believe it. Then again, she thought Milo was no kind of a joker.

"For breaking our kiss, for not feeling as passionate as the first one we made. B-b-but," his voice cracked again, "But I c-can explain!"

His sudden act hadn't made her out of the ashtonishment yet. And to get rid of it, she needed to see the reason behind it, "Go for it, Milo!" and didn't forget to motivate the boy up, "I always be here and know every concern coming from you."

And for a moment, he thought his move to deny her perfection wouldn't give her a dare to listen to his excuse.

"Thanks, Amanda!" said Milo, "It's my concern of the warning. What that woman had said to us, and the short kiss you gave to me,… I think- we're in for some kind of time travel shenanigans."

"Time travel shenanigans?" questioned confused Amanda, "What kind of shenanigans are those?"

On this topic, it was easier for him to explain, "It's Murphy's Law adding spice to some kind of adventure, except it's time travel. You can expect something like… no clocks in the time stream, or being followed by a monster-"

"Or your time vehicle is exposed and you're floating freely through time with no idea how to get out," she interrupted.

"You get it quickly!" he complimented, "Being with Cavendish and Dakota, we had to fight the mutated pistachio trees to save the future and the whole world. That was terrifying and thrilling both at the same time."

The explaination however, worried Amanda. Thinking about all the possilibilities of time travel breaks, and being with Milo, she could get more trouble in the time stream due to Murphy's Law and all of that.

"Mostly terrifying to me," she began to shiver in fear and covered herself with a facial smile, "What if I can't get home and get stuck in this quiet place." It's the time for her perfection to dominate, "And if I am being your friend, no offense, I will always stay in the future without getting back to the present."

"Most of those happen because of me. It may be better if I don't go along," said Milo, clearly didn't get the meaning in Amanda's words.

What had he just said, _"Most of those happen because of me."_

And this world would be better without him.

" _Oh, Amanda, what have you just said?"_ She blamed herself in her thoughts. How could she leave all the moments, all the effort in order to get to know Milo a little more? And the girl wouldn't regret it. The more she knows him, the more she finds out Milo having something that most of her friends never have. It's his natural joy. She finds it hard to make a boring conversation with this Murphy boy. Talking to him is a way to wipe off the very thing against her obession.

How could she drop off those sweet moments like their first kiss, their dance at the party? How about the time she walked all the way to Milo's house just to kiss him on the cheek before sleeping time? And this adventure, a very thing in Milo's life, comes to her, and now she drops herself away for her own safe? " _How cruel I am!"_

Milo's worriness wasn't over when suddenly, some sniffs came to his ears. Amanda's expression: regretful and teary, said it all.

As his natural act, he was there to wipe off her tears, her worriness: a very thing no one would do for her better than Milo. "There, there," he whispered, "Don't cry, okay. Amanda wouldn't be this worried if I weren't here," he calmly blamed himself, and it was even worse, "I must admit-"

"No!" her voice cracked, leaving a stream of tears fell down. The girl buried her face on Milo's uniform: a Gecko shirt he had been still wearing since this morning. "It's not your fault. It's mine! I'm sorry, Milo."

"We're all worried sometimes. You just have to say it out, even when you don't really want to," Milo then braid her heair around. Knowing Amanda, he also knows this is one of the comfortable ways to ease her up after stresses or depression.

"Feeling better?"

Amanda looked up at him after he finished the question. He just smiled back, which made it easier for both of them.

They had just finished the noodles by the way. Eating enough food always makes our mood better, and that's the case of Milo and Amanda too. The warning, every tension in their mind had become less heavy then.

"Want to finish our kiss before picking up the spare alternator?" Milo suggested delightfully.

"Mhm," Amanda nodded, "I'll pay for the Spaghetti!"

* * *

Back to the Lopez residence, where it had been a very tense atmosphere since both Milo and Amanda were missing. The ticking sound of "Watchin' and Waitin'" was playing inside the Lopez house's living room, with Amanda's parents, Milo's parents ans sister, Melissa, Zack, Cavendish, Dakota, and Neal waiting.

Bruno couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey! Can't you guys think of something? My daughter is missing because of you."

"Now, honey, just calm yourself down," said his wife, "They are all worried for Amanda and Milo too."

"Yes, well sir…It's all of our concern, so I think we should continue to find a solution," said Cavendish.

"But it's been an hour and we haven't thought of anything yet," stated concerned Melissa.

"No traces, no hints… Just… nothing!" said Zack.

Meanwhile, Sara had just finished her phone call with some of the polices, "Yep… They really can't find them in this evening."

"It's like they disappeared into the other timeline…" said Dakota. The word 'timeline' echoed in Cavendish's mind. Of course! How simple it had been for the whole time.

"Dakota! You are… a genius!" stated the British man while shaking Dakota violently.

"Hey, hey, stop!" the disco man said, "You're dropping off my glass."

"Opps, sorry!" he then released Dakota. Cavendish then stood up, announced to everyone.

"Everyone! I have a brilliant idea!" he stated, which made everyone go wild for a bunch of seconds.

"What kind of idea?" Melissa ruined the party.

"Well, we don't want to bury the possibility of Milo and Amanda time-travelling, do we?" Cavendish requested.

The teenagers agreed. They gave the idea a further thought.

"That sounds possible. But who could transfer them into another timeset?" questioned Sara.

"I don't think we should question that right now," said Dakota, "If we don't try then what else can we do?"

"Dakota is right, Sara!" Zack confirmed, "You should give it a try."

"Besides, some of Milo's adventures include time travel right? I believe this will work," assured Melissa.

"You all got a point there!" Sara said, "I'm in!"

"Yeah!" everyone cheered.

* * *

Cut to outside the house. Cavendish, Dakota, Zack and Melissa were in the time vehicle, while Sara and Neal were being left out.

"So I agreed with your statement, but why am I being left out in this case?" asked Sara.

"Because you're deserved it," Cavendish smirked.

"Besides, trips to 2175 are always the worst trip," stated Dakota, "It costs a lot of time juice. Less people, less damage."

"Whatever though," said Sara, "What matter is these two best buds of Milo are here, and they are going to do anything to protect him…"

"Aw…" both said in unison, "Thanks, Sara."

The parents witnessed the vehicle impressively.

"Oh my godness… Is this what a time vehicle looks like?" questioned Bruno, "And all the time traveling? What is happening exactly?"

"Well, I like it," miss Lopez commented, along with a warm smile.

"This happens to Milo usually," informed Martin.

"He has grown out himself so much since the first adventure with Dakota and Cavendish," added Brigette.

"This is the result of being a side character," Sara broke the fourth wall, which made veryone stare at her. "What?"

Inside the car, Melissa and Zack had prepared to call their parents. Then Cavendish prevented them from doing it.

"Kids, hold on. You don't need to call your parents for nothing," Cavendish confidently confirmed, "This is time travel. You can get back to ten minutes from now."

But to make sure, the kids still held on their phones and instead, texted to their parents.

After a few troubles in starting the engine, the vehicle finally generated a portal and went deep through into the time stream, left the people in the present behind.

"And I thought Murphy's Law couldn't reach this weird," said Bruno.

Martin glared at him before replied, "It was bold of you to assume that."

* * *

Back to 2175, the jinx and the perfectionist had all the stuffs they needed, and sitting under the shade of a big tree waiting for that woman to come.

"An alternator, tons of clocks," Milo said. He then put the altenator and carefully poured the time juice in. He didn't want himself to look younger though, as a little drop of time travel fuel couldn't get into him.

Next to him was the annoying noise of the vacuum cleaner. After glass had been put to where it was supposed to, Amanda knew she had to suck all the mess inside the engine for her.

Now all they had to do was to get the heavy black windowless van out. Which wouldn't be easy at all.

The two tried to push it back to them, but it didn't move even just one bit. They're still young teenagers after all, and one push couldn't help in anything.

"We can't move it, Milo," she stated exhaustedly.

"I remember my grandfather saying another way to counter Murphy's Law is to use Murphy's Law," said Milo.

"And you can't just use it right?"

"Never. That's not really how it works," he stated, "But if we can trigger it…" the boy then examined Amanda's backpack.

"Hehe," the girl laughed awkwardly, "Not sure if there's anything useful in it."

Milo then took out, "A car jack. Huh?"

"I've got an idea!" stated Amanda.

Her idea was to pull the car up as any other car jack does.

"I don't think this can do anything, Amanda!"

"I already have a plan in my head. Trust me!"

They both pulled the car to the highest state as a car jack could pull.

"Now on three, and we will break the jack."

Both counted, "One!"

"Two!"

"THREE!"

Milo used a hammer (which was also taken from Amanda's backpack) to break the car jack apart, and the van landed harshly on the ground.

Both then sighed in relief. No one was hurt: Amanda, Milo and the car were all safe and sound.

"And then, we pull it out."

After her command, they both pulled the van out… easily. It wasn't struggling like before. Though there were like two remaining perfect wheels on the car.

"Wow, Amanda! You are a genius!" Milo complimented excitedly.

"It was nothing. I must say I've learned something from Mr. Chase's class," replied Amanda, "And I have my inspiration in front of me. I shouldn't have said my perfection out…"

Knowing where she was going, Milo sushed her and joined for a hug, "No, don't ever say it. Hear me out, Amanda. We have our own obessions and that makes each of us unique in our very own way."

"But knowing you more," the girl confessed, "it feels like we can never be apart."

"You think so?" he smiled.

"Yeah… You love the unexpected things, and I love order. We're not the same, but a great match!"

As they enjoyed the hug, the two didn't notice there was a glowing red light surrounding them. It was a sign of something, though it just appeared for a few seconds before faded away completely.

They released themselves. Both of them felt something, though it was just slightly, happening between them.

"Do you feel something?"

"I don't know, buying new tires?" said Amanda.

"No need!" Gretchen then reached in front of their view. She had been running from the building, which was pretty tired at least.

The woman then gave to Milo his very best partner.

"My backpack!" he quickly took it, hugging it, "I'm so happy that this guy comes back."

Milo then thought of something funny, "Here, Mack. I want you to meet your new friend, Annie."

"Annie? Where?" Amanda curiously looked around. There was no Annie. Taking a closer thought, and she realized Milo wanted his backpack to befriend with hers.

"Oh…" The girl quickly took out her backpack and followed the joke, "Well, Annie, this is Mack. You two will be best friends, am I right?"

"You got it!" he complimented.

"Haha, funny moments," said Gretchen, "Now let's get this car done before you two go home, shall we?"

"I'll get my backup tires," said a cheerful Milo.

"And a few napkins," said another cheerful Amanda.

"Good! Let's get to work."

The trio were doing some major fixes before the vehicle could finally get into work. The infamous "Quirky Worky Song" played.

 _Suity-up, booty-up, diddly-deedly-da_

 _Suity-up, booty-up, diddly-deedly-da_

 _Suity-up, booty-up, diddly-deedly-da_

 _Do-da be-de-da, da-da, da-da-da_

Two teenagers and the APP were now standing in front of the new vehicle, proudly.

"This vehicle is like wearing a new outfit!" Gretchen complimented, "And any of this couldn't happen without your help."

"We do what we can do," said Milo.

"You have helped us a lot after all," followed Amanda.

"Hey!" a man called them out. The voice was so loud that all of them gasped at once.

They turned their heads to the source. It was Brick and Savannah, who had kidnapped Milo even though he hadn't been aware of them yet.

"I thought you were in the jail," wondered Savannah, "Have you used some sort of magic from the past?"

"Tell us!" Brick yelled again.

It was that time, they were interrupted by a phone call. It was their boss who called them.

"Hold on just right there!" the Dalton said before paying attention to the call.

Meanwhile, Gretchen stared at them in terror. Amanda and Milo couldn't say anything. They had no idea what was actually going on.

"Who are they?" Milo whispered to Gretchen. It was loud enough for her to hear it.

"Let's say they are the one who have kidnapped you," she said.

"What…? Them?" Amanda exclaimed in her smallest volume, "They seemed to be elite people."

"And they're dangerous from the inside," Gretchen stated, "Now follow me. We will enter the time vehicle carefully."

Amanda and Milo simply nodded.

Gretchen opened the door.

She directed the kids to come in first. Their moves had to be as silent as ninjas.

Gretchen quickly stepped in without making any extreme noise, then closing the door.

Now, she entered the driver's seat, put the key inside.

The woman was confident enough to make her next move.

"Let's go!" she quickly started the engine, opened a time vortex and the vehicle finally entered the time stream.

"Dang it! Run, you cheaters!" Brick exclaimed.

"Oh, don't worry," stated Mr. Block, who was calling them the whole time, "Your time vehicle is coming soon like… right now."

Their limo had been driven to their exact place apparently.

"And good hunting. I want you guys to try out the organization's newest technology," the old guy stated before cutting out the conversation.

Brick and Savannah entered the vehicle, smiling back to each other in an evil way.

"Let's go."

"You bet."

The limo then set off. From the way it started time travelling, there was a high chance the limo would be one step ahead of Gretchen.

* * *

From the other end of the time stream (which was set from 2015 to 2175, specific dates and time), Cavendish and Dakota were driving their vehicle.

The outdated lemon was supposed to drive slowly. We know time doesn't flow when we are in the time stream, but chronogically, it had been ten minutes since they started to enter the time stream.

"Well, how much time juice do we have left, Dakota?"

"One clock left."

"That should be enough," stated Cavendish, "How are the kids?"

"They are sleeping," reviewed Dakota while he was overlooking the teenagers, "And I think Melissa really enjoys embracing Zack while sleeping."

"Huh, delightful children," said the British man, "Wish our childhood could be this cool."

"What do you mean?" Dakota questioned, "How is your childhood like?"

"Not much. I used to hide my mom for Judo classes, and it didn't all end up well," said Cavendish, "My mom taught me _real_ Judo instead."

"That's cool!"

"No… She wrestled me like a real Judo wrestler."

"Oh okay… Once I learned break the bricks before I got my arm sprained harshly," followed Dakota, "But I'm fine now. Though the pain is slighly here for a long shot."

The two then notice a car alarm. It noticed them the time juice in the vehicle had almost ran out.

"This can't be good," said Cavendish, "And we have just gone a half way."

"How can you know this stuff?" questioned Dakota. It will usually take them like ten minutes to finish time travelling. And the time they consume doesn't flow like outside the stream.

Anyway, the loud alarm set Melissa to wake up from her short nap.

Melissa yawned, "Ugh… Have we been oversleeping?"

She took a moment to realize she had been embraced Zack, who was still sleeping on her shoulder.

She punched right in his right arm after feeling concerned for the sudden alarm.

"My pony… I was in my dream, you know," said Zack.

"You were dreaming about ponies?" asked Melissa.

"And there were you, and Milo, and Amanda. You and Amanda were pixies," Zack told her his dream, "I think Milo is going somewhere else with Amanda though."

"Such a cheesy dream you got there. Mine isn't completed without killer robots or a chain of Murphy's Law incidents," stated the orange-haired girl.

Cavendish could hear their conversation. He knew it was the alarm waking them up.

"You two awake?"

"Yeah, we are," replied Zack.

The girl nodded then questioned, "What is that alarm you're setting?"

"Eh, not much," Dakota said, "Just an alarm indicating there has been very few time juice."

"Time juice?" questioned Zack. He didn't remember the events happening in the other timeline, where he was supposed to time travel for the first time and not this one.

"It's like gas in motorbikes, vans or stuffs like that," the man explained, "If we run out of it, we will be stuck here in the stream forever, it's not a big deal."

The atmosphere then turned silent. There were no talking, no noise except for the inconsequential alarm in the situation.

"C-can you say that once again?" Melissa asked. She couldn't believe what she had just heard from Dakota.

"What? That we will be stuck in the time stream since we don't have much time juice left?"

Zack was so surpsied that he couldn't catch his breath properly, "Wh-what do you s-s-say?"

His fear came out again, just as Melissa predicted and felt anxiety for, "Oh no… It's claustro-avoidant."

She then shook Zack in order to get his snap out of it, "Zack! Zack! Hear me! It's going to be okay."

The boyband replied with worries, "How can you be so sure? We will be stuck in this time stream – an infinitive space with no exit. You know how I hate those! How can you be so sure that we're going to be fine?"

He couldn't take it properly anymore. Knowing it, Melissa tried to put her best effort to calm him down. Zack's fears sometimes can be ridiculous, but in this type of adventure, we can be worried at almost everything which seems unfamiliar to us.

The girl pat his back, wrapped her arms around him to make him more comfortable, to let him know he was not alone there. Zack used to do the same to her in some certain points.

"I know things are going to be fine," she stated, "Because I have to! If we can't get out here safe, Milo and Amanda won't be safe. And if we want them to be safe and sound, we just have to believe we will be safe as well. Got it?"

Zack heard her speech clearly. He must admit: she was right. He was so afraid that he forgot the reason he entered the adventure.

The boy released her and already got more confident, "You're right, Melissa. Why should I be worried anyway?"

"Yeah, why should you?" the girl followed.

"We are here to get Milo and Amanda back."

"Yeah, we're here to get them back."

"And we will do anything to do that and make ourselves safe."

"Yeah, that's the spirit!"

"Yeah, that's too much 'yeah…'" said an annoyed Zack.

"Yep…" replied Melissa.

* * *

On the another end of the time stream, Gretchen, Milo and Amanda were time travelling within the B.O.T.T. van. Yeah, the kids already got who Gretchen really is.

"I'm not supposed to hide anything anymore," said Gretchen, "I'm one of the Time Bureau members, and that stinky guy's accountant. That's the reason I can time travel."

"You lie to us…" Milo furiously said, then quickly changing to a delightful attitude, "I graciously accept it."

Both the kids asked in unison, "But… what about you?"

"Don't worry about me," she replied, "Getting innocent victims is more important than keeping this dumb job. I just get tired of it. Seeing his grumpy face and me being compared to other time travellers. It's just so annoying."

"Hey guys, I found something in front of us!" Amanda said. There was a small image of a moving, slightly beige vehicle.

"Isn't that Cavendish and Dakota's vehicle?" Milo asked. He knew it was just like it.

Beat…

Another beat...

"It's them!"

* * *

 **A/N: So that's it for chap 9. And yes, this is very long (for its delay and content) so bear with me. I'm quite busy with my life and other aspects in Milo fandom.**

 **Chap 10 will end the first half of this chapter story. Stay tune!**


	10. Getting Closer for New Adventure

Milo climbed outside from the back door, sat on the roof of the van and saw the image more realistic, much to Gretchen's dismay.

"No, Milo! What are you doing?" asked the woman from the cabin.

"I just want to see it clearer," replied Milo.

"Are you insane? What if you fall into the time stream?" asked worried Gretchen.

"No sweat. I have done this at least once… with Cavendish and Dakota in their limo," said the boy.

The woman sighed, "And now that limo belongs to Brick and Savannah. They are probably following us with it right now."

"So do you know how fast they are?" asked Amanda who was sitting in the seat next to Gretchen.

"You know, you can't really measure how fast a time vehicle is when they are time travelling. It's different from measuring the velocity," she stated.

"In short, you don't know right?"

"No, I don't…" she replied with lack of expression.

Back to Milo, his face revealed worriness, "But how are we gonna reach them when they are… so above us?!"

"Well, think otherwise," said Gretchen, "Told them to come down."

"Got it!"

The boy then took out his slippers and wore new ones. Those were in the "super duper emergency" pack which Milo only used for super emergency situation… like this one. Those slippers can use to attach to any surface and just enough to let him move freely.

"I know I'm going to need this," he said before yelling to the vehicle in front of him for about 2 miles in the time stream.

"Cavendish!"

"Dakota!"

"Can you hear me?"

Meanwhile, Cavendish snapped out of his sleepy mood after hearing those calls.

"What? Milo? Where are you?" he got his head outside and screamed, "Where are you, Milo?"

"I'm over here!" he then turned his head to the south west direction and saw some vehicle in the same time stream as theirs. Milo was standing on it, and he assumed there had got to be someone take him and probably Amanda along.

"Milo! You're here!"

"And I'm here too!" Gretchen revealed herself.

"Gretchen? Aren't you supposed to be with Mr. Block in Tuesday?" asked Cavendish.

Dakota then suddenly woke up, slapped Cavendish's face on the glass to see Gretchen.

"Hey, Gretchen! How're you doing, dull sis'?"

"How on Earth do you get up so quickly?" Cavendish asked his partner in frustation, which Dakota didn't care even one bit.

"Hello bro!"

"Bro?" Milo questioned.

"We're in a same orphanage," stated Dakota.

"Oh…"

Beat.

"Did I see Zack and Melissa?" asked Milo.

The couple came out and took the time travellers' spot.

"Hey, Milo!" both greeted in unison.

"Guys…" he was so happy that both of his best friends were coming along. "You guys come here to help me?" he asked.

"Why of course!" said Melissa, "What friends would be without helping each other? Well, except if I despise them a lot…"

"We've found you but what we're gonna do next," Zack questioned.

"No worries. We'll reverse our direction and then both of the vehicles can get out of this time stream…" Cavendish stated when the alarm went on again, "…if we have enough time juice for that."

"No choice left but to jump," said Dakota, "We can't use the escape button right now. We will lose Milo and Amanda."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Melissa had prepared but Zack pulled her back.

"No wait! You can't just jump below," said Zack, "The force of time stream is really powerful and there's no guarantee you will jump at that right place."

Melissa suddenly punched him, "Hate to say this but you're right."

From the roof of the van, Milo took out a long rope, "Here, Zack! Catch this!"

The boy threw the lasso and Zack caught it, "Got it!" He then pulled back the rope while Milo pulled on the other end.

It was the time the van and the old lemon got closer.

"Everyone, climb down!" urged Milo. Respectively, Melissa, Dakota and Cavendish had managed to reach the roof of the black van.

Zack was the only one left, but the problem was… the vehicles were getting further. And the lasso couldn't hold itself anymore.

Milo tried his best to hold on, "Zack! Jump! I'll hold!"

"Uh… I think I'm having to overcome my fear now," The boyband was just wasting time.

"JUST DO IT!" screamed Milo.

With Milo's urge, Zack jumped without looking in front of him.

"We've got ya!" said all the people who managed to get him down the van safely.

Just in time the rope broke, the old lemon ran out of time juice and flew infinitely into the time stream.

Cavendish and Dakota turned to look at it. Even though they had differences, like the beige vehicle being old and fragile, they are still best friends no matter what!

"So do you think he will be okay?" Dakota asked Gretchen.

"It will be fine, once it collected enough all the time juice while wandering around. That happens to me sometimes…"

"Milo, are you hurt anywhere?" Zack asked, back inside the van.

"Having any stomache?" Melissa rubbed his stomach.

"Or having illness?" Zack covered his head.

"Or losing a teeth?" Milo was about to say when Melissa opened his mouth for further examination.

"I know how to make him feel better," Amanda joined in, with a sarcastic voice, "And that is to let him talk more."

"Opps, sorry," they realized what they were doing, leaving Milo more space.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," he stated. His voice was rather weak, but everything was fine then.

"What happened back there in 2175, Milo?" asked a concerned orange-haired girl.

"Mostly peaceful," he replied, "There were some cleaning down me and Amanda had to take care of."

"Cleaning down?" Amanda questioned.

"It's Murphy's Law actually. It happens to me when I _clean up_!" Milo answered.

"That's very informative but we should be hurry," Amanda warned her friends, then turned to Gretchen. "When will be 2015?"

"Excited huh?" said the dull woman, "Relax… Ten more minutes."

"Ten more minutes?!" the girl tensed up for some reason.

"Ten or five? We don't know, it's a time stream," Dakota joined in.

Milo chuckled to it, while Amanda kept getting more and more worried.

"But we have to hurry, or those two time agents might catch us back. All of us!"

"Don't worry, Amanda," the Murphy boy cheered her up, "It's not like the world will end us here. It's like my dad always says, 'You can let Diogee chase your butt but he will never bite anyone,'"

"That's right!" Melissa followed, "There was one time I was going to the zoo, when all of the chinchilas ran all over me. I thought it would be hurt but there's a fact: they're soft like your own bed."

We all thought Zack would follow Milo and Melissa to cheer Amanda up.

A beat occurred.

He did.

"Well… you guys know my first day of school right? Me and Milo were being chased by coyotes, abducted by aliens and went back to school safe and sound," Zack retold his first adventure with Milo, in which the Murphy boy proudly smiled, "It shows me that a danger trip to school is more interesting than…"

He was interruped by a punch on his shoulder.

And so was Milo.

Surprisingly, Melissa didn't do it.

The girl who was worried the whole time did it.

"YOU TWO! You made me lost my lunch!" the perfectionist yelled.

That made the trio burst out laughing.

"Oh Amanda…" Milo couldn't calm himself giggling.

"It was Melissa who made the bet," Zack said.

"But only because she had full faith in both of you and I didn't!" From anxiety to madness, but fun madness. "You guys dared to turn this around!"

"Oh look, Amanda gets angry for her loss," the youngest boy joked. Subconsciously, Milo embraced Amanda.

She was totally surprised. Though it was understandable that Milo couldn't calm himself laughing and he needed a shoulder to calm him down.

That did make her cheeks redden, and it eased her worriness.

"Okay, I'll stop," he then released the perfectionist, still facing her.

"See? If you aren't able to believe in yourself, just make a funny joke or go crazy or do whatever you like," the boy told her.

"Thanks Milo, I get it now," she nodded, "But still, if you think about getting away with it then that's not the case."

"Oh come on, either you or me have lunch anyway," Melissa shot, "Besides, luck always on my side."

"I'll take that sarcastically," Amanda stated, and the group of four enjoyed themselves, laughing again.

Cavendish, Dakota and Gretchen were looking from the drivers' seats, smiling.

"Ah, children…" Dakota exclaimed.

"Teenagers?!" Cavendish fixed.

"How come I can't remember my better life? I mean, I was borned in 2140s," Dakota questioned.

"We don't have parents remember?" Gretchen recalled, "I mean, not 'we'. We're just having same conditions, not that we're related."

"And how come I don't know anything about it?" Cavendish questioned.

"We will tell you later," said the dull woman, "For now, let's just keep track any phenomenal activities."

Gretchen pushed a yellow button a big rectangle rada appeared.

"Whoa…" both men exclaimed.

"This is the time radar," Gretchen informed. "The red dot here is our vehicle, and the blue dot is Brick and Savannah's one."

"Brick and Savannah?" Dakota quizzed.

"Those two idiots!" both men chorused.

The blue dot suddenly disappeared. Three of them gasped.

"Which means… they have exited before us," Gretchen sighed.

"Jeez, can't you say a better sentence?" Dakota exclaimed.

"You know me," Gretchen giggled to herself.

"As boring as ice fish…" Cavendish mumbled. The woman turned to yell him, "Excuse me?!"

"No time for argument," Dakota suggested, "We should do something."

"As much as I'd love to but hearing what you're saying: we can't," the Brit man retold his partner's sentence sarcastically, "Oh, we don't actually know, 'cause it's a time stream."

"Now I wish the portal appeared," as soon as he had spoken, the time portal appeared and dropped the vehicle back to the present time...

* * *

 **Danville, present time...**

Cavendish's eyes turned blank. Well, almost.

Gretchen gasped, "Uncanny."

Dakota said, "Yeah, that was foreseen."

The snack guy then announced to the kids on the back, "We have arrived. You can come out now."

"Okay guys, time out," Milo announced, as he started to stack all the cards back in his backpack.

"That was the best time of my life," Amanda stated while she was leaving the van.

"To be honest, I was kinda surprised that we're back to when we were supposed to gather and tell whether we found Milo," Zack wondered.

"We were worried sick out there!" said Melissa.

"Welp… we have reached outside the small field, and people shouldn't have known Milo is missing anymore," informed Gretchen.

"Which means we just overwrote another time period," Cavendish followed, "Everything has been solved in the future, therefore, things are back to where they were!"

"Man, can anyone bother to explain again?" Zack found himself lost.

"For now, I suggest everyone to go home," Dakota said seriously, "Check your family members and see if they have any weird actions. If there's a problem, you know where to find us."

"The Strip Mall!" Milo answered.

"Winner!" Gretchen stated.

"That was a fun ride!" Melissa stated, "And I have been sleepy already."

"It's time for goodbye then. See you guys tomorrow!" Zack said before he and Melissa parted the gang.

"Goodbye!" the gang said.

"You guys are truly awesome!" Milo yelled.

"We know," Melissa answered back.

"Thank you for everything," Amanda yelled, then turned to Milo, "Well, I guess this is the end of today's adventure…"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Milo understood how she was feeling now. After an exciting day, he also wants to have that feeling again. The feeling of overcoming danger with his best friend.

Maybe tomorrow then… Next time would be hopefully more exciting! More danger! More action! More… Milo and his friends!

"Murphy's Law knows how to rest, Amanda," Milo whispered to her. He then suggested, "Let's... come to my home together alright?"

Amanda nodded. It felt like she was hanging out with him forever.

The two took a seat in the van again. This time, Gretchen was going to drive them home. And to be safe, Cavendish and Dakota would tag along and made the woman uncomfortable one more time.

It was all for a great world!

* * *

A fancy night outside Danville. Mostly because the sun was like almost hiding itself under the skyline.

Dakota suggested that he, Cavendish and Gretchen could be wandering around town and buy random stuffs. The disco man needed lava lamps and the British man needed cat piano… sorry, ahem… a piano.

"Feel free to pull your head out anytime," Gretchen suggested, "Be naughty and… enjoy your time. We all deserve that."

"Thanks a lot, Gretchen!" Milo and Amanda exclaimed.

"So Murphy's friend girl, do you need anything?" Cavendish questioned.

"Nah, I'm good. Just having a nice birthday party and everyone knows me a lot," the girl clarified, "You guys had a cameo with Sara back then. I appreciate that."

"Oh, of course. That would be-" Cavendish was feeling relieved when Dakota interrupted. "But that will be ashamed. I mean, we haven't given you anything on that day since…" he chuckled, "you are a special friend to Milo."

"It's awfully nice of you but…" she replied, while looking at Milo and put her hand to his. "I have already got more than enough."

The Murphy boy just smiled. His friend is such a sweetheart.

"Well, would ya look at that?" Gretchen joked, "A kind girl, less greedy than Dakota."

"Well excuse me?" Dakota shot back, "You're a girl but you're no different than me."

"That triggers me, what are you two's story again?" Cavendish raised an eyebrow.

"I'd love to but we are pretty tired by now," the disco guy promised, "Tomorrow then?"

"Fine then. Tomorrow," the British man griped, then turned to ask Milo, "How about you, Murphy? Anything you'd like to have?"

"No thanks!" Milo replied, "Tomorrow then?"

Dakota quickly grabbed a high-five from the young boy, while Cavendish was feeling out of the loop.

He changed the topic, "You know, by now I am wondering if Brick and Savannah are following us again."

"Don't ruin the moment," Dakota threatened in a small volume.

"Not too worry. As long as we turn off our signal, there's no way those two can find us," Gretchen confidently stated, "And what bothers them to do the mission at midnight again?"

* * *

On the back seats.

Two young teenagers, with no intention of having an adventure together anyway, are sitting back and going home together after a problem that's not half serious as they expected.

The jinx and the perfectionist had many things to chat about, but they rather let it calmed for a while.

Milo pulled his head out from the right window and Amanda did the same from the left one. The breeze here is chill. Like Gretchen said, they can enjoy themselves whenever they want to.

With Amanda, each moment when she enjoyed a scene, she didn't forget to peek at Milo. Seeing him interested to his side, she wondered if he did peek back.

All the enthusiasm of knowing places in the night of Danville faded however and the girl already yawned.

Milo pulled his head inside, slowly closing his eyes. He lied himself next to Amanda, who practially did the same thing.

One thing they could be aware of… two things actually: the warmth they shared to each other, and they knew that they would have a good long sleep after a long day.

Milo knew he was next to Amanda, but subconcious. He had nothing to do beside peeked and whispered his friend a good night.

"Good night… Amanda."

The boy could feel the movement from her hair. She comfortably adjusted herself onto Milo's lap, whispered, "Good night…

Milo…"

* * *

 **9:00 p.m., still in the same day of Richard's class.**

Amanda yawned and tried to adjust her eyes. It was obvious that she had lied down on Milo's lap, hugging his belly. She wasn't sure if there was any limit she had crossed during her rest.

Nevertheless, that's never going to happen anyway. You never know.

She gently pulled her head up and yawned with her most comfort. Stretching her arms and shoulders, we always do that and so does her!

"Buenos días," she greeted morning in her native langauge. Sometimes she has to admit though: it is weird to call good morning like that… in the van and near Milo.

Back in her bedroom is a total different case.

" _Milo was still sleeping so let him be it"_ , she smiled.

The Latina girl then realized two things: one, it's not morning as she thinks it likely be; two, there's no response from Cavendish, Dakota or Gretchen.

" _Eh, that's weird?"_ much to her surprise, _"Why is it still midnight? Haven't I fully charged?"_

Amanda palmed her head, _"Huh, I think myself is a battery, laugh out loud."_

She then checked around. With some noise she made and no response, one thing can be stated that there were just two of them in the B.O.T.T. vehicle.

No adult supervision. And she thought eight hours had passed.

She checked further to the front seats and saw a piece of yellow note on the glass of the van.

It was opened. Inside, there were words from Dakota.

" _After you finish your nap, call us with the phone on my seat._

 _Or whatever seat you see the phone._

 _You get the idea."_

Amanda saw a cell phone. She started it, and there had already been a number set for her call.

* * *

"It was you the entire time?! How could you do this to Murphy?" Cavendish exclaimed, after he had heard all the backstories Gretchen told inside the living room of the Murphy house.

There was obviously him, Gretchen and Dakota. All the Murphy family members: Martin, Brigette, Sara and even Diogee who was just napping during the talk.

"So do you know why Block forced you to do it?" Martin questioned.

"I'm not 100% sure. But one thing I know is that they act unusually," Gretchen stated, "I think I can use Milo's backpack as a part of investigation."

"A investigation?" Dakota joined in worriedly, "You mean like… there was something unusual with the time flow?"

"Yeah, that," the woman nodded, "The abnormality was nothing big, but it was better for me to investigate it. But after I took Milo's backpack, things has worsened. I went to the future with Amanda to rescue him and took the backpack back."

Cavendish sighed. He could blame Gretchen the whole day but it couldn't help anything. In fact, he could understand her act in someway.

She continued, "That rewrote the missing backpack story arc. In that exact time, the abnormailty grew bigger because we changed things but later… the flow is back to stable."

"All of this is very interesting," Sara commented, "It's like the episode 275 when Doctor Zone changes an unlucky event, but it causes more trouble for him when he goes to the future."

Brigette stared at everyone, being unimpressed, "I'll make more tea for everyone."

Martin suggested, "Cavendish, she didn't do right but it was for a reason. She knows her fault. Can you consider forgive her?" then he elbowed the British man, "You know, take a suggestion from a Murphy man?"

Cavendish rolled his eyes, but he agreed anyway, "Alright. Suppose groaning can't improve the situation better."

"Thanks a lot, bro!" the woman winked.

"You guys are just the same," the tall man exclaimed, referring to her and his partner.

"That depends," Dakota shrugged.

"Say again?" Gretchen shot, then changed the topic, "Nevermind y'know what? Since I can already sure Mr. Block won't use me anymore, I think I'll just stay here with you guys for a week or something."

"Stay here?" Martin and Sara exclaimed.

"Of course not," she clarified, "with Cavendish and Dakota."

The disco man spat the tea out, "Say whaaaat…?"

At that time, Dakota's phone rang with his infamous ringtone, _"We're going to the zoo, we're going to the zoo. And then we're gonna see some animals!"_

The guy picked up, "Yo Amanda?"

"Hey Dakota. Uh… I think I'm awake now and I'm calling you guys as instruction…"

"So glad you dug it!"

"Well of course she did," Cavendish stated unamusedly.

"We're inside Milo's house right now," Dakota said, "Is Milo awake?"

"Nope, but I will call him awake," Amanda replied, "You guys can come out."

"Got it!" the guy dropped the call and asked his companions to pack things up.

Amanda turned to call Milo up in the meantime.

"Wake up, Milo…" she said softly, added a bit of chuckle there, "You will never believe what you're gonna see."

The boy woke up. Yawning, stretching and oepning his eyes, that's all the process.

His hands were holding her hands, but mostly because she tried to wake him up.

"Good morning, Amanda!" he greeted.

"Good morning, Milo!" she greeted back, "But you can look around now."

He followed her order. It was still night.

That surprise brought him back to full energy, "What?! It's still midnight?" he exclaimed.

She smiled. Seeing Milo surprised about the whole thing entertained her, "As a matter of fact, we're not even there yet."

Amanda showed him the clock on a phone she just picked us.

"9:10 p.m.? I thought we were sleeping for like… full 8 hours!" Milo was confused, circling with thoughts.

"Yeah I thought so too," Amanda confessed, "But like you said, we shouldn't be worried with things like this, am I right?"

Milo had to admit, he was surprised. But seeing her like this made him smile because: 1, she had learned her lessons; and 2, she succesfully made him better.

"Thanks, Amanda," then he joked, "But it's not like I will be scared of those things."

"I dare you to say that again," the girl threatened.

"Come on, this guy has fought pistachions! How can these little things scare me off?"

And so they laughed.

They playfully pushed each other.

They teased each other.

By spending time together, their day had already been an adventure.

What important was that they had fun.

And they will have fun. They always be. Because they're Milo and Amanda…

* * *

Cut to the dark atmosphere, with the only light pointing to the dark boss and two of his agents.

"We're extremely sorry sir," Brick said.

"We couldn't find that kid anywhere," Savannah added, "Although it can be said that Gretchen has gone too far. I'll use force to her and consider her fired."

"No need…" Mr. Block stated calmly.

"But…"

"No but…" he smiled devilly, "She was just a part of my play chess."

"Whoa…" the Dalton exclaimed.

"Ya know, with messing timelines and all…" he held in his hand a holographic image of Milo before crushing it and making his fist

"There will be no chance for anyone of them."

* * *

Cut to the Strip Mall, where Dakota and Cavendish's room was now occupied a new member.

"From today, I will assist you to prevent Mr. Block and his force," Gretchen stated, "I am highly sure he will come back in two to three more days."

"That's nice of you, Gretchen," Dakota accepted with a smile on his face.

"It doesn't look like I will agree anyway," Cavendish objected, "We can face this myself without your help, Gretchen."

"But you will anyway…" the woman claimed, "I will consider this as my ultimate challenge…"

* * *

The time had come. It was really the time they had to part each other. But it's not like they can't meet each other ever again.

"Goodbye, Milo," Amanda said, "And just in case, I have made a Disorder account logged in on your phone. I think you've already known what that is."

"It's a social chat room can be used by anyone, am I right?" Milo answered, "It's RULE! Thanks for making an account for me anyway."

"You're welcome…" she decided to go, but there was one more time she hadn't finished yet.

"And actually, I forgot to finish one more thing."

"What is-" he didn't have a chance to ask in full sentence when she had already made her lips onto his. They were kissing for the third time of the day.

But this time, it felt more relaxing.

No conflicted thoughts or mind-boggling terror.

Just them enjoying themselves.

Milo widened his eyes at first, but he later found himself in Cloud 9.

It was enjoyable. Though they had done this for a few times, but it's safe to say that they are feeling passionate with this new concept.

Amanda took the lead role during this though. While he was being busy, she took a paper from her backpack and put it inside his. _"That should give him an adventure."_

Then they released themselves. Their cheeks were reddened. They wasn't even aware of their surroundings: car alarm honking, trees falling and water sprinker spitting all water out and reached to Milo and Amanda, literally soaked them.

Murphy's Law is normal just like this. Amanda can confirm this is her big success while she is being friend with Milo.

It's not that bad. In fact, she won't be surprised if anyone confirms Milo and her are already a couple.

"So… look out of the Disorder, okay?" Amanda suggested.

The Murphy boy nodded.

* * *

 **A/N: It has been a long hiatus eh? There were new Milo's episodes in Season 2 and I'm delightful to say I really enjoy the season. I planned to release chapters after Season 2 but it was so good that it encouraged me to do it more. So get prepared for more Milanda around ya!**


	11. Disorder Session 1

It's a beautiful night in Danville. Not too many stars, but it shone beautifully bright.

Two young teenagers, with no intention of having an adventure together anyway, are sitting back and going home together after a problem that's not half serious as they expected.

The jinx and the perfectionist had many things to chat about, but they rather let it calmed for a while.

All the enthusiasm of knowing places in the night of Danville faded however and the girl already yawned.

Milo pulled his head inside, slowly closing his eyes. He lied himself next to Amanda, who practially did the same thing.

One thing they could be aware of… two things actually: the warmth they shared to each other, and they knew that they would have a good long sleep after a long day.

Milo knew he was next to Amanda, but subconcious. He had nothing to do beside peeked and whispered his friend a good night.

"Good night… Amanda."

The boy could feel the movement from her hair. She comfortably adjusted herself onto Milo's lap, whispered, "Good night…

Milo…"

She closed her eyes and that started their first sleep together.

They like this moment to stay forever. And they knew they would have a chance to do it in another story in the future.

Anyway, something silently happened around the young sleeping couple. A pink shiny glow was eminated by Milo, while a magenta one was eminated by Amanda. Together those made a color contrast, and the result was a shiny red glow with yellow curved line around it.

That didn't affect their warm cosy nap, but it triggered a time loop around them and made the sleepover an action taking place between a two-hour time period.

Our innocent Murphy, Milo and perfectionist Amanda hadn't been aware of it however… yet.

* * *

Amanda was in her room with full of lights. It was 9:30 p.m.

The room is painted with a simple yellow, but the highlight is teddy bears all around.

She loves teddy bears. She uses them for decorations on cakes because she also loves making them.

And another hightlight is many sparking marbles hanging above her table. With someone who knows Amanda as a smart girl, they will think right away those are some DNA structure or something.

They have many colors, but mostly red, pale yellow and magenta. Now she loves it even more when they represent her and Milo's clothing.

Speaking of Milo, he must have been online by his phone with the Disorder app by now.

" _I just hope Milo's phone stay safe,"_ then Amanda created a fun thing which was indeed making the day more fun.

* * *

 **Murphy's Law is Yhprum's Law.**

 **Loading.**

 **Starting.**

 **Tuesday, 9:35 p.m.**

Welcome to the beginning of **Richard's Lil' Students** group.

 **MyPerfectCake** added **NowIAmAMurphy** to the group.

 **MyPerfectCake** added **QueenoftheUniverse** to the group.

 **MyPerfectCake** added **ZacktheLumberzack** to the group.

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** What

 **MyPerfectCake:** Just made a group chat for 4 of us

 **MyPerfectCake:** in Disorder.

 **MyPerfectCake:** Melissa and Zack knew. Milo was the last one to.

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** Hope his phone won't be broken though

 **MyPerfectCake** reacted with :thumbsup:

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** wow!

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Amanda.

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** You're telling me you, me, Melissa and Zack are having a group chat?

 **MyPerfectCake:** Mhm.

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** One prob, why is there my dad's name

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** That makes sense actually. We're all your dad's students.

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** But why

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** It's kinda lame to me

 **MyPerfectCake:** I'm pretty tired right now.

 **MyPerfectCake:** In order to make a group chat for four of us, a proper name is the last thing I think of.

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** Has been a rough day eh

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** Still want another name

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** I a con.

 **MyPerfectCake:** Milo?

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** I am considering it tomorrow.

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Darn autocorrect.

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** It's so you

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** Question Melissa. What's the plan of tomorrow's classes

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** There's no tomorrow?!

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Really?

 **MyPerfectCale:** En serio?

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** ya know that was a joke rite

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** anyway, we all will get some serious treatment from my dad

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** Sounds scary…

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** No trick, Zack

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** i, for once, know you want spoilers

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** …didn't mean my complain in that way though

 **MyPerfectCake:** When will the class start Melissa? Morning or afternoon?

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** after

 **MyPerfectCake:** Perfect!

 **MyPerfectCake:** Thanks Melissa.

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** Thanks her dad instead. :smirk:

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** You're dead to me tomorrow

 **MyPerfectCake:** My plan will be perfect.

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** What plan?

 **MyPerfectCake:** Secret. Not even for girls.

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** I want to know… You better change that group name asap

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** Where has Milo been by the way

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Sorry guys. Just switched for a new phone.

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** So your phone has broken?

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** No, it just ran out of battery.

 **MyPerfectCake:** It's pretty late now.

 **MyPerfectCake:** But I'm not sure if I can sleep this night

 **MyPerfectCake:** Not in the mood of it.

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Short story, we gained time.

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Not sure how though.

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** What happened actually

 **MyPerfectCake:** We will tell you guys tomorrow.

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** that's fine then.

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** See you guys tomorrow

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** when i get up i better see a new group name.

 **MyPerfectCake:** Geez Melissa…

 **MyPerfectCake:** Goodbye guys! Bye Melissa! Bye Zack!

 **MyPerfectCake:** And goodnight!

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** bye Amanda, Milo, Zack. Good night

 **ZacktheLumberzack:** Ditto.

 **QueenoftheUniverse:** You lazy thing.

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Bye Amanda, Melissa, Zack!

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Have a great 9.

 **NowIAmAMurphy** logged off.

 **ZacktheLumberzack** logged off.

 **MyPerfectCake** logged off.

 **QueenoftheUniverse** logged off.

* * *

Milo was about to shut off his phone when he received a notification.

 **MyPerfectCake** sent him a private message.

 **MyPerfectCake:** Heya, best friend!

 **MyPerfectCake:** Can you do me a favor tomorrow?

 **MyPerfectCake:** I'm having a surprise.

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Of course. What is it?

 **MyPerfectCake:** I have put inside Mack a paper note.

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Mack?

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Oh you mean my backpack.

 **MyPerfectCake:** Can you wake up at 7 tomorrow?

 **MyPerfectCake:** And do what the instruction says.

 **MyPerfectCake:** Don't do it right now.

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** I saw it!

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** And you tell me not to do anything with it right now?

 **MyPerfectCake:** Yes.

 **MyPerfectCake:** No peeking, no unfolding it. Do it after 7:00 a.m.

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Okaaay.

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Anything for a friend.

 **MyPerfectCake:** Perfect!

 **MyPerfectCake:** Thanks, my love!

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** Wow…

 **MyPerfectCake:** Ooopps!

 **MyPerfectCake:** I mean Milo.

 **MyPerfectCake:** Autocorrect got me. :joy:

 **NowIAmAMurphy:** It got us right though.

 **MyPerfectCake:** Not now you!

 **MyPerfectCake:** You don't know I'm blushing.

* * *

 **A/N: So a bit update. I must tell you guys that I have fixed a few time stamps on Chapter 10 and 11 to make the two chapters more connected.**

 **This chat session has set up pretty much everything for next chapter. See you next time when another event plays out!**


	12. Guiding

The sun shines beautifully as always in Danville. That's the sun in summer. There's no definition for summer. It's a forever tale, where the spirit of adventures and simple enjoyment has truly begun.

Each breakfast is considered an adventure for Milo Murphy. The stairs he walks down every day is getting more weaker and dampened (not always by water actually).

And brushing his teeth is usally an easy job for him. But a 'beautiful' day when the main brush and the backup one breaking simultaneously can get him circling.

Anyway, Milo was having his breakfast with his favorite cereal, Dr. Zone O's.

"Hi guys", and his family had already been waiting for him.

It was 6:40 a.m.. Plenty more minutes until his girlfriend's task.

"Hi honey. Had enough sleep last night?" Brigette asked her precious son.

"Yes, I had. In fact, I could barely close my eyes after all the exciting events," Milo said delightfully.

"We had heard Cavendish and Dakota and a woman talking all about it," Sara confirmed. "I'm surprised you just hide us all."

"No…" he chuckled. "I'd tell you guys if I had the chance. Gretchen was just two steps ahead of me."

"Gretchen… I remember," replied the Doctor Zone fangirl. "But nonetheless, Murphy's Law just has been very active around you these days. It makes more adventures for my little brother."

"I feel the same way too," Milo stated, "I think it should go slower though. What's fun of an adventure without everyone in it?"

"You bet," Martin exclaimed, "Back in my days, there aren't many things happening. It's just Murphy's Law all around."

The Murphy man then put both hands on the boy's shoulders, facing him, "Now Milo, when I say you have an exciting life, it also means I suggest you should be careful. I think I don't have to remind you these things anymore."

Milo nodded, "Gotcha, dad!"

Then he stood up and while he just made a small contact on the table, it was collasped immidiately, taking away the family breakfast in a blink of an eye.

Milo thought it was his fault, apologized, "I am extremely sorry! I just want to reach the tissue box."

"That's okay, hon'", understood Brigette, "We all know it wasn't your fault."

"How about eating crackers?" Martin suggested and joked all the same, "You know, on a cracked table?"

That made everyone in the house laughed non-stop. Even Diogee who just knows how to bark, barked to show some interests.

A thought suddenly came to Sara.

" _Milo's life has been wonderful… I'm just happy for him._

 _But… I do wish my life could get a bit more… exciting!_

 _Instead of sitting on a couch and watching Doctor Zone._

 _No offense, I still love doing that."_

* * *

7 a.m.. Milo had stood at the frontyard. Being calm as usual, he was ready for another day throwing at him.

Morning exercises combining with Amanda's task.

"Alright, girl. Let's see what you've planned me…" he announced and took out the note she gave him at unknown time. He bet it was given during their kiss yesterday.

He unfolded the paper carefully, and much to his surprise.

" _Dear Milo,_

 _I believe you're Murphully doing fine. By the time you're reading this, you're exercising and walking to the place where you guide me on how to use my backpack."_

"That's it?" Milo had been exercising already during the read. And it took him a few seconds to know where to go next.

"The bus stop…" he whispered. "You make me active already, Amanda…"

* * *

The bus stop. He first met some people whom he now calls best friends there. At this ol' bus stop, he met Melissa. Seven years later, he met Zack and the legendary trio of Milo, Melissa and Zack started from there.

He and Amanda met here and had their first adventure. They had done many things along with Melissa, and those were basically what he did to Zack. Not sure why Amanda made him to come here, but it would definitely be intriguing.

Anyway, he stopped at the bus stop to look for another clue.

10 seconds later, he notice a paper wrapping around on the post with a small ribbon.

"What's next…" he whispered before unfolding the second paper.

" _Before I officially become your friend, do you remember how much I hated your presence. I mean, not hate, but more worried and feared. I was hesitant to go to your birthday party. I was scared to see you at the perfectly organized opera. Heck, if I could, I shouldn't have sent an invitation to you at the school dance I organized."_

" _Yes, I do…"_ he thought. _"It was a fun time though. You were so worried back there, but something told me I had to do something, to lessen your anxious."_

The Murphy boy continued reading.

" _I know what you're thinking. My birthday party is what you're looking for."_

"Her birthday party? Hmm…" he brainstormed for a minute.

Dink! The clue was then too clear.

"Her house! I got it!" he exclaimed before running for another short journey.

"So after all of this…" Milo whispered to himself while pacing through the chill winds. The second person would be changed if Amanda were with him. "I think I will know what you're thinking about me. And I think I can tell you how I really feel."

* * *

"So what brings you here niño?" asked Bruno – Amanda's lovely father. "If you're here for my daugher's note or something then let me tell ya, I can't recall the boy she informed me yesterday. Mi memoria is limited."

"Um… Mr. Lopez, that boy is me," Milo replied. "I'm the boy she mentioned to you yesterday. Do you have any idea about Amanda's location?"

"Oh, that makes sense. That's why you're here for her," the guy nodded then palmed on his face. "Right, of course. How can I be so stupid?"

He cleared his throat before continuing, "Anyway… Milo, playing accordion right?"

"Sí!" the cinamon roll replied happily.

"Here's your clue or whatever," he handed him another pice of paper. It was yellow but the color isn't a matter in this game. "I honestly don't know what mi hija is planning, but Amanda has already left at half past six. Very early. Unusual of her. ¡Excepcional!"

"So at what time does she usually wake up?"

"6:31," Bruno simply replied.

He later changed the topic, "So, about the branches and leaves on your..."

"Oh, right!" he threw out some of the branches and leaves being stuck on his brown hair. "It would be better if there weren't a tree falling next to me. I dodged the big branch, but I was stuck on a big pile of leaves."

"A tree fall on you? Did it hurt?"

"It's nothing much, Mr. Lopez. Fortunately, I just got a few scratches on my hand and not a bunch of them. You know, Murphy's Law! Luckily, I bring out some bandages," he took out the bandages and recovered himself.

"Interesante. For a young teenage boy, you're sure a prepared one," the business man commented. "My daughter is very lucky to fall in love for a boy like you. I mean, not obviously on her expression, but the hints are way too obvious."

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Lopez!"

"Please, call me Bruno next time."

A moment later, Milo exited the Lopez residence, unfolding and reading the next clue.

He reviewed, "Oh boy, I honestly didn't know this 'till now."

" _So why should have I invited you? I'm not sure though. My heart tells me I should, and as a perfectionist, I thought I could try a bit more challenge. With that, I sincerely hoped it had to be easy. And… you were nice and calm and helpful and resourceful, and those remains unchanged until this day. I already knew that before I get to be your friend._

 _You know the chocolate fountain? Find it, which assumably doesn't exist in the exact place anymore."_

"The Gecko house, of course!" he exclaimed before walking again.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dakota and Gretchen were holding empty bags and probably walking to the groceries store.

"So Gretchen, how was life used to be in 2175 in your view?" Dakota questioned. "We're kind of getting used to life right now. When you know some cheerful kids like Milo or Melissa…"

"It was normal," Gretchen replied. "A little too normal… Until that Block told me to do the wrongdoings with him. I had to pretend like I was doing it and look for his true intention."

"So what was his true intention?" he asked again.

"Don't you remember? He was out-of-character," Gretchen explained. "He's now a nice person from the outside, but he's a menace from the inside. That's not how he is. He used to be annoying both from the outside and the inside."

"Whoever he is, he never really likes me and Cavendish, after all."

"Ah don't worry too much about it. You guys have a nice life now, am I right?"

"Yeah…" Dakota agreed before wondering. "What about these dirty bags? First of all, we can't buy groceries with these. Second (and maybe the last) of all, we're not bringing along any money."

"…These are just used to make Cavendish believe that we were actually going to the store," Gretchen revealed. "We are actually going to do this."

Gretchen took her keys used to activate the time vehicle. She pushed a button on the main key, and the black van (a B.O.T.T. vehicle she owned) appeared in a flash.

"Whoa…" Dakota dropped his jaw. "Don't tell me we're going to…"

"Yes, bro," she confirmed and then took out sunglasses. "Let's hit some 2175."

"Cool! You know I can wear sunglasses to make me cooler but… I have glasses already…" he chuckled.

Dakota and Gretchen quickly threw away their shopping bags (which were then revealed as decoys), fastening their seatbelts, activating the time vehicle and jumping into the time stream.

Dakota felt relaxed, "Ah.. it's great to time-travel again. That reminds me, we still have an old vehicle to pick up."

"Yes."

"Are you sure that this trip will be safe without Cavendish?"

"I'd say it's better without him," Gretchen said. "He still had the kids to protect."

"I see… So what is the plan?" he asked.

"Check these out!" she handed to him two pictures of some pile of stuffs in a brown bag. At first look, they looked pretty much the same.

"What are these? And what is an anchor even doing here?"

"These pictures are belongings inside Milo's backpack," Gretchen dug into details. "See the dates on the top right corner. One takes place on a Sunday, and the next one takes place two days later, on a Tuesday."

"Uh-huh. So what you're saying is one picture takes place when you bring the backpack to Mr. Block and another one takes place after you bring it back," Dakota summarized. "Amazing! How can you even think of this idea?"

"Look one more time!" she commanded. "From the first look, they are pretty much just the same. But look closely, you can see an only difference."

Dakota followed her orders but it was a hard task for a laid back like him, "How should I know? It's like Mr. Block has never touched anything inside it bef-"

He stopped mid-sentence and realized what Gretchen was trying to point out.

"I got it! The thing on top and behind a flashlight is missing! Man, it was so obvious…"

"Now that's an amazing Dakota!" she complimented. "The thing you're trying to figure it out is a plastic box keeping super cold, small blocks of ice."

"It's not weird that Milo keeps that in his backpack," Dakota said. "But why a super cold box? What does Mr. Block want to do with it?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "That's why we go on this trip."

"You mean we're going to be spies! That would be so cool! I wish Cavendish could do this with us," he screamed in delight. "I wonder if he figured out that we were gone and doing something else."

* * *

Cut to Cavendish, who was still wearing his pijama and standing from the balcony, noticing the black van had been missing.

"Where the devil could that van go? Are those two really that lazy to walk to the store on foot?" he wondered. "Something's off… Time for some investigation, and video recording."

Three minutes later.

"Balthazar T. Cavendish log, 507. At 7:31 a.m. in a beautiful morning on a Wednesday, something weird is happening. Gretchen's black van is mysteriously missing. But her keys are belonged to her, which means she's the only one to activate it. Which also means, Gretchen and Dakota are going to the store by the van. The store is just located two blocks away to the Strip Mall, In all of seriousness, who would drive 2 kilometers with a van to just buy some groceries. Maybe they're hiding me something and it's getting on my nerves!"

In a few more seconds, he noticed one more detail, "Oh, what do we have here? One big tire scratch on the road. I must follow it!"

* * *

After a short trip from the Lopez residence to the Gecko house, he was covered in mud. It was all dried and clean from the outside, and of course it was worse when just the moment after he read that note, he was tripping on an out-of-nowhere skateboard, broke it before planting his whole body on the mud.

"Good thing I had the hair dryer," he exclaimed. "Would make me less embarassing but… when does that even bother me?"

Milo entered the Gecko house which wasn't locked. Weird, but if Amanda had been arranging this for him, it could have been more extreme. Anyway, he stepped in and saw a flashlight.

"A flashlight… in the middle of a dark room?" he was getting more curious than ever. "What are you actually planning, Amanda?"

He grinned, then opening the flashlight and saw nothing suspicious, except for a table. Lying on it was a chocolate fountain with no chocolate.

"Ah there it is. The School Dance she organized, memories," he whispered. In a few seconds, Milo found another clue and read it.

" _At first, I got stressed. To be honest, I was really anxious when you were around. It was the first schol dance I actually got the chance to organize and I didn't want to blow it. At that moment when the blackout happened, I was completely destroyed you know. You were just innocently cheerful and I didn't know why. I only realized it when everything was fixed, and with the help of Lydia, I found out that you had fixed everything. I was really impressed. And since that, I have totally viewed you differently than before. And when you had finished your song, we danced. Your moves were so passionate, and even though I danced good with that song, I still tried to keep up. It turned out that we ended up helping each other dance."_

"I remember that song!" Milo stated. "It was soft and good. 'I'm not despairing, but maybe we can start reparing, with a little tender love and caring…'"

He continued look at the clue, _"I wrote this with pencil. Tongue sticking out of my mouth. Good luck finding the next clue!"_

Milo raised an eyebrow. That line was harder to figure out than any other lines he had read before.

"Hmm… need time to think. Of course this is written with pencil, Amanda."

* * *

Cut to 2175.

Gretchen and Dakota were back to their time to do some business the woman needed to solve.

"Dakota, first thing first," she said. "Your old vehicle, which is parking next to the van, needs to be returned to around 2015-ish. I have already dumped the time juice in it from my van."

"Wait, how? You said Cavendish needn't follow us right? If he had a vehicle, he would immidately run into us," explained Dakota.

"Trust me, he won't. Just send it back and hope it will hide itself somewhere," Gretchen stated. "That way, it would buy him some time to find it, the same amount of time we're doing our mission! Got it?"

"Got it," Dakota agreed. He set the vehicle back to Milo's time with a modern remote borrowing from Gretchen borrowing from Mr. Block owning the B.O.T.T. technology.

"I had _so much_ to learn about you guys' technology…"

"First thing done. Here's the second thing."

Gretchen pulled out a plan, and most of it was covered by the map of Time Bureau's interior. Rooms, hallways, secret rooms, everything!

"We're gonna rob Time Bureau, aren't we?" concerned Dakota.

"Well, that's our alternative plan. What we must do is just to find out what Mr. Block is planning and if needed, stop it."

"Oh, get it. We're not actually robbing," he relieved. "Let's do it!"

"And one more thing!" Gretchen screamed.

"What is it?"

She put a hand on his shoulder and comfort him, "Be careful!"

"You too!"

* * *

"Balthazar T. Cavendish. Right now, I'm following these unusual scratches on the road. I feel I'm getting closer to something dangerous and…"

He stopped when realized the track stopped, "What in the world? It ends here?! But… how it could…?" he was stammering for a while before realizing the event. "Dakota and Gretchen must have time-travel from here and…"

He was interrupted again. Another scratch but from a different path of the crossroad did it.

"Well, would you look at that? How could I not see it? They could have stopped and then taken another turn and it leads to… a falling tree," he celebrated. "Of course, it was so obvious! They must have been driving so carelessly that they crashed onto a tree. The reason we don't see it is because they have it being fixed somewhere… Anyway, no time travel. But I must follow the tracks they left again."

* * *

Milo was wandering around the schoolyard by himself and thinking about two thoughts.

The first one.

"Geez, I'm still hoping that guy driving his car is okay," Milo said to himself. "When I was almost coming to that tree, it suddenly splitted in half for no reason, and both halfs fell on both sides. The first half fell on its left and almost let a car hit it. Luckily, no one was hurt, but it left a darn scratch on the road. He must have broken his hand apparently. Last but no least, the second half fell on me. Some branches hit me and I think I have leaves inside my mouth. What an experience, I don't blame her for this plan."

* * *

Meanwhile, from the final secret spot, Amanda was sitting and waiting.

"I hope mi Milo is doing okay. After all, I believe him _and_ that old guy."

* * *

"Anyway, time for my second thought," he announced. "What was she trying to say? Writing by pencil. It makes no sense she giving the most literal sentence. Note with pencil… wait…"

"Wait…" he repeated.

"Wait!"

"WAIT! HOLD UP!"

"WAIT!" the boy cheered.

"WHY DO I REPEAT THAT MANY TIMES?"

"STOP IT!"

"Alright, calm down, Milo," he relaxed by breathing in and out before figuring out what she actually meant. "She was written it by her pencil. She didn't have pencil until she returned it to me and made me have the special pencil to give her back… AT THAT DARN HOUSE! Again!"

"That was a nice trick, Amanda, but nothing can surpass your hero at the party," Milo said like he was in a movie. He ran into the room again. Didn't need a flashlight, he already knew the spot Amanda returned him the pencil in million good spots to meet. Possibilities!

"I saw it!" he looked under his feet and saw a piece of paper, "But it was just a half. The other half was located at Amanda's backyard! I must go in pronto!"

He exited the scholyard, "And this time, I take a shortcut."

Milo had been running to Amanda's house for 5 minutes. He stopped and gasped when he saw the sprinkler from houses in front of him sprinkle water on the backyard. It was getting hot, you know.

"I can't just pass through it right away. That will soak the note. But I have to make it, so I'm counting on you, my backpack."

He put one half of the note inside his backpack, "There we go."

Just as he was running through houses, many spirnklers suddenly got broken. The water was being spitted around and more powerful.

"My umbrella," he took it out from his backpack quickly, trying to cover it instead of himself. But the more he was passing through those, the more slaps in the face he received.

Then he was hit harshly and fell on the ground. Water splash seemed a small problem, but now, he was almost knocked out, being unconcious because of it. Murphy's Law.

The moment he fainted and broken sprinklers were still messing with him, he never forgot to cover his backpack with the umbrella.

Inside it was half of one more clue Amanda giving to him. She wasn't probably aware of Milo's condition while waiting him to finish her game. Or more exactly, her organized plan.

* * *

With the help of Dakota's ninja costumes for Halloween, he and Gretchen easily went through the Time Bureau security system. It was conveniently lunch time, so during the guards' shift, the two got inside the building with no sweat spending. The only thing they could do was to keep themselves silent and invisible, while finding Block to figure out what he was plotting.

They spotted him walking calmly. A smile never faded, appeared on his now evil face. He didn't raise any suspicion to events around him. He didn't notice the rebels were keeping an eye on him. Or more likely, he never noticed.

"You know, I never thought Mr. Block could be so calm and evil like that," Dakota said.

"Less talking, more spying. That guy is no longer the grumpy Nicholas Block we know," Gretchen warned.

"So you brough the cold box? Good," Block said. "It's the rarest kind of ice so watch out for that. And Doctor Vladimir, coincidently, has invented a gun called the Time-Eraser. It can erase any object from any time. And why is it ice, you may ask?"

He chuckled to his guard before continuing his speech, "Well, the coldest, meanest world is the one where time doesn't exist around you. With this pure element coming from blocks of ice the kid has been keeping, I'll erase any violators who is hiding right under my nose! Instead, they will be hiding in the parallel world and being trapped there, FOREVER!"

Block raised his evil laugh. The most evil one he had. The loudest one he ever did. His cruel face and sharp look definitely told his determination.

"All of this happened just because I took a backpack from a kid," Gretchen didn't know what else to say. She covered her mouth and blamed herself. "There are many possibilities going to happen in the future if I've done that and well, this is one of them. I tried to fix it but it was too late. We're facing one of many outcomes right now."

"Shh!" Dakota exclaimed, trying to calm the woman down. "Don't talk so loud! I know we can fix this. Let's pack our stuffs and prepare for-"

But he couldn't finish his sentence when he heard his boss told the guard, "And Brick disguising as my guard, catch those two invisible ninjas hiding at the B entrance!"

"OMG! He found us?"

"Hurry, let's run and-"

"Not so fast!" Savannah stopped them from running back. They were now surrounded from two sides by two A-class time agents.

"What is that, some kind of catchphrase or something?" Gretchen smirked.

Dakota and Gretchen had come this far, and they couldn't easily be defeated.

"Take this!" the disco man threw on the ground a time granade and ran ahead along with the boring woman. Savannah and Brick saw it and terrified. The time was set and it was about to explode.

Bam!

Nothing happened physically, but they gave it a check and saw what time had been erased.

"0 seconds. So long, suckers!" the agents read Dakota's message simultaneously, then staring blankly like idiots.

"AFTER THEM, YOU FOOLS!" Block yelled, as they obeyed and followed the rebels suit.

He then grinned again, "But I just know how to get them to me…"

* * *

The pleasant heat warmed the surface on the ground, on roads. Milo slowly woke up somewhere outside his room. He curiously looked at scenes around him and didn't know what had actually occurred to him. Not until three minutes later, he got back his usual calm and focused on his mission again.

"Must go to Amanda's backyard," he deteminred. "But the backpack…"

He turned around and saw his backpack was covered with an opened umbrella. It didn't got wet, and everything inside it was good as it had been back in the early morning. He could still see one half of the clue, which was still dry and readable. The only thing he could do was to dry his own hands before holding again. Then Milo stood up, kept running like he was doing in the morning. It was half past nine a.m.. A few more hours before the afternoon.

At that time, he realized why Amanda asked Melissa about the training time in the chat session, and how happy she reacted. She kept it a secret only to me, probably because Amanda wanted to keep it a business between him and her. This whole game was to reveal how the perfect girl actually thinks about Milo, before and after the birthday party. And she did it for something else. We will see.

* * *

Way too behind Milo, but Cavendish still followed tracks he left, which he thought those were from Gretchen and Dakota. He guessed things out no matter if it were in the most ridiculous sense.

"My sense tells me that they have passed those watering sprinklers. It was a hot day, after all…" Cavendish explained before motivating himself. "To anything before me!"

* * *

While the whole agency was setting the alarm and trying to find the rebels everywhere, Gretchen and Dakota managed to hide themselves in Dakota and Cavendish's office. It was the smallest one in all of other rooms.

"Perfect hiding spot! No one would ever find us here…" the woman grew more confidence. "Too obvious! Too normal. Even if there's someone entering the door, I'll smash them down."

"Um… have you ever thought Mr. Block is just gonna give up on us so easily?" Dakota doubted.

"Your doubt is very accurate, Dakota…" a voice came from inside the office. The old man revealed himself and much to their surprise, it was no one else than… "It is I, Mr. Block, coming to see how has your day been progressing?" he ended his entrance with another grin.

"Impossible!" Gretchen exclaimed.

"For my entire career, I have no idea that there was a secret entrance in my office," Dakota informed.

"No, you fools. I climbed up here with the help of the local firemen," Block explained. "But you're just too focus on the door that you forgot the windows."

"Oh my, I underestimated you. I'm gonna foil you!" the woman threatened.

The boss didn't replied. Instead, he shook his head and clapped slowly, "Fighting your own boss, it shows that you don't underestimate me at all, Gretchen. But to do that, YOU TWO WILL BE MY FIRST EXPERIMENTS FOR THIS WEAPON!"

Mr. Block pointed the gun at them and shot. A weird ray coming out from it and just like what the head of Time Bureau explained, they were actually erased from the office.

"Now those two would be stuck in the cold, mean world with no way out. There's no definition of time in there…"

He laughed, then revealed another evil scheme, "And now, our next targets… Milo Murphy and Amanda Lopez. Muahahahahahaha!"

* * *

In three hours, he finally came back to Amanda's house. He was sitting down and trying to catch his breath.

"Well, that was exhausted. And a good exercise for the morning," he reviewed.

He was too tired to notice Amanda was coming out from the house. He would notice, later.

"Milo?"

Her voice and her slight touch on his shoulder. Couldn't be wrong with any one else.

"Amanda?" he immidiately stood up, turning back to look at his beautiful friend. Milo stammered for a while. She looked so neat and… pretty that day. Like every other day, but somehow that day was a special occasion to him… "You look… pretty. Where did you have this teal dress?"

"Um… that was my old dress. I used to think its color didn't match for me until I reconsidered and thought… I should dress this for a day and… hear your thoughts about it," Amanda said.

"It's… beautiful. It looks good on you!"

"Thank you!" she blushed and smiled happily. And she didn't forget to do her job. "By the way, here's the rest of the clue. Which isn't a clue anymore, since… it's done by now"

"You're gonna… give it to me?" Milo expected to find the other half by himself in the backyard and meet up with Amanda at somewhere else. "And I thought today couldn't get any more surprising. How can you set this up to me anyway?"

"I did it myself," she revealed. "And the whole point is…"

"Is to let me know how you really feel about me?" the boy interrupted. "I know that since the beginning."

The boy then merged the notes together, then reading it to both of them.

" _I was kind of worried when I invited you to my birthday party. But then I thought again, what kind of friend I would be. Even though my obsession is totally opposite to you, you never give up on me. So me and Lydia thought together, that I should try to never give up on you. It was a chance to let us truly understand each other, without any fear interrupting._

 _You're really a good boy, Milo. Ever since I knew you, you have taught me things I have never done. We danced passionately, we had our adventures, we were sleeping and you know what was the best part?"_

"The kisses… right?" Milo chuckled embarassedly. "I never thought of that scene in my life. Knowing you, seeing you as a cute person, I just never thought I could experience…"

"Me either…" Amanda said. "I don't think of anything else. I just think I… should… do that. What if we're… too early for those? I mean, I think I love you, but I don't think we can keep on peacefully like this. You never know what is going to happen in your life, right?"

"I can't tell, either," Milo then embraced the scheduled girl from behind. "That was comfortable right?"

"I think it is, for now…" Amanda felt sastified.

And that was the time the glowing appeared from them. It was just the same to the glowing coming from the sleeping young couple. They didn't notice that, and it was hard for them to be aware of it by themselves.

"I just think that… all of our decisions coming from our heart," Milo explained. "If your heart tells you to do it, you do it. And to think of it, we thought the same thing, twice. And… no matter how life is spinning, just remember…"

"Our emotions won't change even if life throws us lemons," Amanda followed.

"And we'll be together…

Forever!"

Later, they held their arms and looked at each other passionately. One couldn't know their fate, but one thing for sure, they had let their feelings out and it was memorable.

"Now come on, stop being dramatic and keep calm!" Milo said before he and Amanda joined for a tight hug.

"Sorry for pulling you out for a mess this morning though," Amanda apologized.

"That's alright. And hey, that was a creative way to show your feelings!" the boy commented. "You're really good at this."

"And you're really good at finding my clue."

"Yes… yes, we are good."

While they were hugging, Cavendish spotted them from far away. He kept his distance far enough without the couple's notice.

"Wait… what's that glow coming from Milo and Amanda? Gotta take notes… It was bright red with yellow outline. I simply must go back to my room and investigate this phenomenon!"

The British man ran back and quickly forgot his first targets in the morning.

It was like he replaced his old motivation with the new one.

* * *

Back to Gretchen and Dakota.

They slowly woke up. But they weren't in Time Bureau anymore. They found them in the middle of the cold, quiet world. It was nothing but black and white. No sound but their steps, colorless building.

"What is this place…?" Dakota questioned.

"I have no idea, but it looks like we're gonna stuck here for a long time… And there's no definition of time in here," Gretchen stated.

They were… officially… forgotten!


	13. Time Bond Theory

Just like Melissa had promised, Milo, her, Zack, Amanda and Mr. Chase met up at that local field again. With Milo and Amanda, that morning had been emotionally wonderful. What couldn't be a better start for another hopefully eventful day?

"Hey, Amanda?" Melissa asked her while they were packing stuffs in their backpacks. "Have you changed the name?"

Amanda showed disappointment before finding proof to show her friend, mumbling, "Keep asking for nonsense in the hot afternoon."

"Here!" she gave her phone to Melissa. "It's offline but you can still see my change."

The orange-haired girl opened the Disorder app in Amanda's phone. She saw her change to the group name, "BestFriendsForever?"

"I tried my best and…"

"Thanks! This is awesome," Melissa commented. "It really shows our spirit!"

"Alright kids, and Milo! Gather 'round for my next lesson!" Richard commanded as four of them formed a horizontal line in front of him.

"Yes, Mr. Chase!"

"Good, good. Now listen up," the fireman revealed lessons for the day. "I'm gonna have one thing… uh no, two things to teach… today."

"Two things?" Zack questioned.

"Yes… You all still keep your headbands?"

They all nodded and grabbed it in their hands, showing them to Richard.

"That's good. I still want to test your memory, so if you don't mind give it to me, I will be very happy," the man said.

"Why of course," Zack exclaimed, giving his headband to the fireman.

"Who else wouldn't want a challenge?" Melissa followed.

"I have one yesterday though," Milo said.

"It would be kinda cute," Amanda stated.

All four headbands were in Richard's hand, literally. "Great job. Now look to your left 30 meters from you and tell me what you see."

"Hmm…" Amanda came closer to a very interesting thing being drawn on the football field. "Why are there 25 sqaures marked from 1 to 25 on the field anyway? Like Reversi, but it's 5x5."

"It's because those are for… Attack 25!" the fireman revealed.

"Attack 25?" they raised their eyebrows in confusion.

Check the Internet, folks!

"It's a Japanese game show for a long time. Let me show you how it works."

"You should know about this, right Melissa?" the boyband whispered to his girlfriend.

"I had no idea to be honest," she smirked. "This should be interesting."

"The rules are simple. You will be answering many trivia questions. If you give out one correct answer, you will be awarded one of those 25 squares, and the given square will be colored as same as the one of your headband. Later, you can attack. When you have two squares capturing one other sqaure either in a straight line or dianogally, you will have your oppenent's square. End of the game, the one who has most squares in the panel, wins!"

Zack groaned, "Quiz again… But it's colorful, so I can give it a try."

"Let's do it right away," Melissa yelled.

"You seem excited for this, Melissa," he commanded. "Now all of you, your position is under that white line over there!"

After a minute, everyone had stayed in the position.

"Is everyone clear on what you're doing? Then let the game begin!" he announced. "If anyone gets this first question right, you will be awarded the number 13 – the square in the center! There's no other choice…"

"Got it!" four of them exclaimed in unison.

"Good. First question: which element is the most abundant in the Earth's atmosphere?"

"Oh, me, me!" Melissa raised her hand first.

"There's a bell in front of you, Melissa," Richard informed. "Anyway, what's your answer?"

"Nitrogen!"

"And that is correct. Great job, Melissa!"

"I know that…" Amanda exclaimed. "But great job too, Melissa!"

"Thanks! The 13 is now blue, baby!" Melissa said excitedly.

"Yep. Now in this question, I will ask everyone in turn. Starting from Milo, Amanda, Zack to Melissa. Milo, it's your second turn and you have to choose the number around the 13. It can be either 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 17, 18 or 19," the fireman explained.

"Got it!"

"Alright, here's the second question for you: what is the other way to say 'knock on wood,'" he questioned.

"Bad luck! I know this one!" Milo answered in one second.

"And that is correct. Which number will you choose?"

"I choose… 12!"

Milo picked the 12th sqaure, next to Melissa's square number 13.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cavendish radpily changed from finding Gretchen and Dakota to investigating Milo and Amanda. Unless he has a really bad memory, how can he change his target so quickly. Something had made him forgot.

"Who's this man I'm standing with?" Cavendish stared at the old picture he and Dakota took years ago, for ten minutes. He couldn't recall who's that guy standing next to him. Why was he grumpy in that picture, and… who is he?

"Never mind that," he threw the picture away. "the more important thing is now I have to find out the mystery coming from Amanda and Milo's love making."

The picture smoothly landed beneath the sofa without him noticing. A small blue portal sucked it inside. A few more, and maybe all of Cavendish and Dakota's photos had been sucked in and sent to the black and white world.

Gretchen and Dakota stared at the photo rain in ashtonishment. Any kind of photos proving that Cavendish and Dakota are a thing had also been erased and forgotten, just like them.

"I wonder if it causes some serious problems to the actual timeline," Dakota wondered.

"It's gonna be serious damage," Gretchen feared. "The bond between you and Cavendish is going to be erased. The timeline will be shorter, and make a fabric of time and space until everything we know is officially gone!"

She fell down on her knees and crying, "It's all my fault, Dakota. I shouldn't have asked you to do this alone. It was my fault that we trapped here… I'm-"

"Say no more, Gretchen!" Dakota yelled at her. "It wasn't anyone's fault! If we hadn't done anything, we all would have got into a lot more trouble. So do not blame yourself anymore!"

"But, but I-"

"There there…" Dakota gave Gretchen a comfort hug. "Everything's gonna be okay."

With all of his effort to calm the woman down, he couldn't help but sigh and hope, "Oh Cavendish… you're our only hope."

* * *

Sara was going to the meeting with the Doctor Zone fans. It was June 18th, an important day for the fandom since it was the date the 400th episode of Doctor Zone came out. They meet up together so they can discuss about it, sometimes arguing for what they think is right in the episode.

"Sara? What'cha doin' outside my comic shop?" Neal asked.

"Oh hey Neal. Just going to some meeting with the Doctor Zone fans," she informed. "Today's the anniversary of the 400th half-hour of Doctor Zone. THE BEST EPISODE EVER! Wanna come?"

"You bet I am! I'm not crazy for it, but I'd love to hear you talk about it," the teenager from the comic shop said. "I can ride you if you want."

"Eh, we'll walk. The place is nearby."

The two were about to leave when they heard someone calling them, "Hey Sara! Hey Neal!"

"Kris?" Sara saw Kris running towards her. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to be at the meeting early."

"Don't… say anything," she replied while catching her breath. "I forgot my dad hadn't fixed the alarm clock yet so I woke up late… I hope Wally is going easy on me."

"Of course he will! I mean, who can give him the right to be harsh on the best Doctor Zone fan ever!" Sara cheered her up.

Hearing her bestie cheer her up, Kris gave out a smile, "Thanks."

"Now come on! Don't be a buzzkill. They must be waiting for us," Sara ran ahead as both of her friends followed.

The Doctor Zone fan meeting always brings joy to all the lovers of the show across Danville. Annually, each years hold up to 60, even 90 meetings. Some years just held around 20 of them. Kris and Wally never miss anything, Sara and Milo just go for most of them. Neal follows Doctor Zone comics instead of the television series. He was excited to see what the first meeting would hold.

"Hey Sara, is Milo coming? That kid is a disaster, but a fun disaster. I think I can get used to him being in our meeting," Kris questioned nicely.

"Oh, he's having outdoor class with Mr. Chase and his friends," Sara informed.

"Extra class in the summer? Boring!" the fangirl exclaimed.

"But… it looks like he was having fun…" Milo's sister chuckled awkwardly.

"Hey, what about discussing the 400th episode on the way?" Neal suggested.

"I don't know…" Kris said. "You are a comic fan. You don't really _follow_ the series. Wouldn't that be a problem?"

"Sara has showed me a lot," the comic guy revealed. "When I watched that episode, I knew that I had read this in the comic too. They are pretty similar."

"Okay, let's do that, Sara's boyfriend!" the crazy fangirl teased her bestie.

Sara and Neal stared each other and blushed, "No, we're not!" Sara stated. "You don't deserve that title!"

"Hey, that's not nice!" Neal argued.

"I'm just teasing, do you guys have to take it that seriously?" Kris stated sarcastically.

* * *

Meanwhile, the game has almost reached an end. The statistics were: 11 points for blue, 5 points for yellow and red each, and 4 points for green. The last question had been read loud and clear. Milo rang the bell to answer. If he got the square number 5, he could capture two more points from Zack and one more point from Melissa. The question was: "What is the movie with the limburger sandwich and the Neptune queen?"

"I think I watched it and… it's Neptune Needs Women!" Milo answered.

"Truly remarkable, Milo, even if that was the 11th bell you broke," Richard then announced the result. "Okay, here's our final result. Melissa, who has the blue headband, has got 10 points in total!"

"Rock it on, boom!" she cheered.

"Came in close second is Milo, who has the yellow headband and got three points in the last question and as the result, 8 points. The third place belongs to Amanda with 5 points, and Zack has only got 2."

"Well, I came in last…"

"It was a shame you couldn't win this, Zack!" Milo felt him.

"But there's winner, there's loser. Get up, buddy!" Melissa held out a hand, and the boyband grabbed it and stood up.

"Alright, that's the first thing for today! Hope you all learn some useful knowledge."

"Thank you, Mr. Chase!" all of them exclaimed.

"Blue and yellow, you're the winners so you come here with me," he commanded Milo and his daughter.

"You're weird, dad," Melissa teased him. "Just call us Milo and Melissa."

"Right, right," he chuckled, then bringing out some small punishment to the losers. "Red and green, start warming up and run five laps for me."

"Right!" Zack obeyed but Amanda was surprised by this. "Me too?!"

"Why, of course! Or am I a little harsh to you?"

"Of course not!" Amanda shook her head, determined. "I can do this!"

"You don't have to, Amanda…" Milo tried to prevent his girl friend but the girl of order insisted. "Trust me, Milo. If I say I can do it, I can do it. Now come on, Zack."

"Amanda…" he whispered as he saw her along with Zack warming up and running around.

"I did this a lot, you know," Melissa revealed. "My dad used to push me through like this."

"That's true," Richard agreed. "This class is not just about skills and physical strength. It's about will, and effort. The determination to never give up."

" _Amanda, I'm so proud of you…"_ Milo thought. _"Feels like I am not the only one to run today."_

" _Seeing you smile makes me smile too, Milo,"_ Amanda thought while looking at him sastified. He was watching her, feeling proud and worried at the same time. _"You won't be the one to run into adventures, Milo. We'll be!"_

* * *

All they could do to find a way out was staring at the black-and-white sky. A few hours had passed and instead of finding a way out, they were just collecting stuffs falling to them. For example, Dennis the teddy bear, which is one and only. Or a few more pictures of Milo with him and Cavendish in the background that he didn't know how these were taken. And more curiously, Time Ape merchandise.

"Now this is interesting. This character was inspired by me," Dakota quickly figured out. "So if I disappear, Time Ape will be disappeared as well. And Cavendish may have forgot our first adventure by now."

On Gretchen's side, all she had was her own van, which was useless since they could still be travelling in this cold world around. And of course, photos were falling – the best evidence to prove someone's existance.

She had grown more impatient, "I can't take it anymore! How can this help us, Dakota?"

"You saw portals opening above us? It appears then disappears. Look at it and figure out a pattern," Dakota instructed.

"Well, I don't see any pattern from them," Gretchen stated disappointedly. "All we have here is this dumb van and tons of photos."

"Van… that's it!" idea music played. Dakota got another idea. "Let's try this out. Follow me!"

"But what are we doing exactly?"

"Just do what I said."

* * *

In three hours, Cavendish had made for himself an investigating table. With drawings and a few photos, some pins and red strings. But he had already burned out and wanted to relax.

"I've got nothing," the old guy sighed. "Guess I'm just sitting here and watching interesting stuffs while I'm at it."

He turned on the TV. Searching for a few channels, he saw something getting his personal interest, "Oh, what's this?"

It was the Zone Channel, covering details and living the meeting for the anniversary of the 400th episode of Doctor Zone.

"Hmm… meetings aren't usually bad. It can buy me some time to think," Cavendish motivated himself.

Meanwhile, Kris led her bestie Sara to the front seat as usual.

"May I?" – "Sure."

"Puf, puf," however, Neal was stopped by the fangirl. "You can sit behind us."

"Don't be too serious about that," Neal glared at her. "Second row is the best, you know!"

The guy from the comic shop then questioned, "So what element do you like most in that episode? What makes it a great one in your opinion?"

"Oh, lots of things!" Kris revealed her opinion like a true fan. "I think it has many elements contributed to it. Friendship, romance, fantasy, crime, biography, backstory…"

Neal interrupted, "I didn't know it had that much element though. I mean, don't judge me, I'm just a comic fan."

The Asia girl patted his back and smirked, "Totally got you, bro. If Milo didn't make me realize, I would be much more nastier than right now."

"Still, the romance melts my heart the most," the comic fan revealed.

"For me, I just like one concept of time travel in this episode," Sara confessed. "It's an important element to build up the whole story and every other stuffs."

"Nice one!" Kris complimented, and both of the girls high-fived.

"Hello everyone!" the host of the meeting started his speech. "As you all have figured out, this is the annual…"

"Interesting…" Cavendish whispered while watching from the TV on the sofa.

"Cavendish?" the old guy, Mr. Phillips came in and asked. "How's my gentleman who always pays my rent on time huh?"

"Shh!" the British man said. "I am watching this and it's educational. Um… do you mind buying pop corns for us…?"

"Oh sure, not mind at all," Phillips replied before going to buy some pop corns.

* * *

All of our four teenagers had gathered for one more time to hear Richard's second task.

"Um, Mr. Chase, are we going to camp out here?" Zack asked as he saw fabric, stakes and some tree branches.

"And are we really going to put on a campfire this afternoon?" Amanda followed.

"Not in this weather, of course," Richard chuckled before revealing his next plan. "Alright, the second job you will do today is camping, obviously. But here's the thing: you will learn how to camp safely."

"I think camping is just camping. We just do it," Melissa said, wondering what her father meant about safely.

"Yes, you do. And it's fun, I admit. But do you know that during the summer or the winter, people should never go camping?"

"We all know that. I think, 'cause I know that too!" Milo stated.

"And, as a fireman, our duty isn't just to stop the fire. It's our duty to teach them, tell them what it takes to have a fun and safe camping," the fireman said. "So four of you will be divided into two teams. Milo and Melissa, you won the Attack 25, so you two are going to be Team A. Zack and Amanda will be Team B. Got it?"

"Um, Mr. Chase, how are you going to rate our camp anyway?" Amanda questioned.

"Well, in your first attempt, I want you guys to give it all you've got," Richard replied, comforting the scheduled chica. "Your skill does give in some points, but it's also important to have fun. Work those two elements together, you all heard that."

"Got it" four of them yelled in unison before putting their effort into reality.

* * *

Milo and Melissa were working together to set up the tent. The blue fabric was thick and large, and they both planned for a safe way to set it up.

"I remember this bad boy," Melissa staed. "It gave me bad memories."

"How's so?"

"When I was 8 and going camping with my father," she told him a backstory. "I was proving to my father I'm responsible enough to go camping and set up a tent by my own."

"Um, let's see…" Milo guessed. "While you were sleeping inside your tent, it collapsed because the sticks broke and couldn't hold on any longer. You fell on the steep hill and twisted both of your ankles. I saw that you were riding a wheelchair when you were eight, and I think I know why…"

"That's my best friend," Melissa smiled sastifiedly and fist-bumped Milo. His guess told the whole story the girl hadn't even told him once. "Anyway, what should we do with it?"

"Hmm… how about we made it a rectangle tent? Like, make it a box?" the Murphy boy suggested.

"Wait, seriously?"

"Seriously. That would be much safer than your last experience, am I right?"

Melissa was thinking for a while, doubtful whether that was a fun and safe idea.

Meanwhile, Zack and Amanda had luckily got the easier tent to build. And in no time, they set it perfectly like every other tents. In their opinions, the tent was still lack of decorations; therefore they decided to decorate it.

"Strawberry color is fine. But it needs pattern," the girl stated.

"And we have paints, conveniently," Zack suggested. They were also supplied two buckets of light red paints.

"They're perfect to be used for patterns. Let us draw!"

"Way ahead of ya," the boyband had another idea. "How about having two different patterns on two sides?"

"That's not a bad idea at all."

Then both of them started to work on each side of the triangle tent. Zack painted the square patten to look similar to the Lumberzack's outfit.

"And lemme guess, you will draw the pattern on Milo's sweater right?" Zack guessed.

"How do you know?"

"Well, how do I know you and Milo usally hang out?" the boyband teased.

"And how should I know Melissa sets your song as her ringtone?" Amanda shot back.

"How should I know… you know what…" he stammered. "It's weird that we choose to do the hard work. Don't you feel like we should let things happen like this. Like if… we never painted on the tent…?"

"How should I know? It's way too simple if we just stop," the Hispanic girl stated.

"We have enough how we should know for a day," he chuckled before asking her a question. "So… I'm just curious but what was happening between you and Milo last night?"

Hearing this, she sighed. A part of her mind couldn't stop overthinking about it and never get an answer, "I guess we never know. We thought that we had been slept 'together' for a whole night, but when we looked outside, it was just like an hour had passed by. Can you imagine that?"

"If I were you, I would be shocked right at the moment I woke up," Zack understood. "Did anything else happen?"

"No, not really. We slept so well that we couldn't really take a long one at that night. Dakota's note was funny. Except the phenomenon, everything was normal," Amanda said

"I think it had something to do with time travel," Zack thought.

"I guess so…"

* * *

"So I hope you all know the reason we're here: to discuss about how great episode 400th of Doctor Zone is," Wally was holding the main speech of the meeting. "No other opinion. I know you too well, Josh."

"Why has it been always me?"Josh complained. "I don't like that trash one bit."

"Yeah, we could have just thrown you out like last year, but I guess proving you wrong is worth giving a shot," Wally continued. "Let's do a recap. This episode's main characters, as you all know, are Doctor Zone and Acapella Virginia. The newbies were gonna be like: 'Of course Doctor Zone has to be in this episode.' And I was gonna be like: 'I can prove Doctor Zone is in for a solid reason…'"

Kris interrupted, whispering him, "Don't say that reason again. Remember last year?"

"Oh right… right… And Sara, where's your brother Milo?"

"He's playing with his friends. You don't need to worry about him," Sara replied.

"I get it. So, back to the recap, shall we?" the blond-haired boy continued. "Apparently in that episode, someone tries to alter his existence so that guy can get in love with Acapella. At first, he indirectly changes the imploding event a little bit without affecting too much to the timeline. Kris, you're up?"

"The guy doesn't know that many possibilities can happen even when he alters the timeline. He could die, being imploded or even being alive. His action causes parrallel timelines to exist and the main timeline gets more unstable," Kris explained. "To protect him, a power called the Time Bond appears and protects Doctor Zone from being affected by bad consequences. The power stays until multiple timelines become one and it will disappear."

"Oh, that's really a good time theory. It's almost like… Milo and Amanda?" Cavendish raised his eyebrow.

"Hey Cavendish, got ya some popcorn eh?" Phillips said.

"Okay good Phillips bye," the British guy thanked him then closed the door.

He ran to his table filled with Milo and Amanda's theories for just two hours. With that one speech, he finally figured out.

"So apparently Milo lost his backpack and this caused more consequences around him. This led to his whole adventure with Amanda, or maybe something else whatsoever. But somehow he gets it back," the old man noted all down on a piece of paper. "In conclusion, to make himself safe, the time bond appeared and bonded him to Amanda and made that the main timeline. Whenever bad things happen… it will just like… teleport him to a safe place."

Cavendish snapped his fingers, congratulating himself, "Of course! That must be it. I'm way too smart for this… But Milo's already got his backpack, so that power must have faded by now."

* * *

The blue sky had turned into dark sunset came and another night was going to visit. But before that, let us check our camping test

"How great have we done, Mr. Chase?" Zack questioned.

"Hmm… not great…" Richard mused. "Um… nope, I was joking! You guys sure proved a lot."

"Yay!" Milo and his friends cheered.

"But… it's safe to say you need some improvements. Melissa."

"Um… yes, dad?" Melissa said.

"Don't use mirror in your tent. It will cause nightmares," the fireman advised. "Amanda, try not to decorate too much. That goes to Zack as well."

The boyband and the Latina girl grinned awkwardly.

"And Milo, nothing went wrong today. So that concludes our lessons for today," Richard said. "Before we go, I have one thing to tell you guys…"

All of them looked curious. Wondering what he was trying to say.

"Um…" he stammered, which was really rare of him. "I was wondering if all you could come to the park tomorrow. There will be a camping competition and I just thought…"

"Huh?" all of them exclaimed.

"So that's why you asked us to do test-camping," his daughter smirked. "Twisted…"

"I mean, why not. It would be fun. Of course there are prizes if we have luck, but I want you guys to have as much fun as you get."

"So what are you worried about, Mr. Chase?" Amanda questioned.

"Of course we will join you!" Milo agreed.

"I'm in!" Zack screamed. "It woule be nice to set up the tent me and Amanda had decorated for an hour."

"Or more precisely, thirty-nine minutes three seconds, Zack."

"Whatevs."

"Thanks, kids," the fireman smiled. "So remember what I have taught you today. Camp safe and camp fun!"

* * *

"Bye, see you guys later!"

The evening occurred and it was the time the group went apart. As usual, Milo and Amanda picked the same direction to go home. More time alone to talk was never a bad thing.

"Man, what a fun day," Milo groaned comfortably. "Being directed by you here, and we are going to camp together, tomorrow!"

"And Murphy's Law is kind of quiet for a day," Amanda stated.

"Yeah, seems weird," he confessed. "I'm starting to feel like we're missing out something."

"I agree. Don't you think it was too peaceful?" the girl questioned.

"Not really, in the morning. Way too real, in the afternoon," Milo stated.

"Nevermind that. How about using Disorder tonight and planning already?"

"Can't argue with that!"

In no time, Milo and Amanda reached in front of the Murphy house. Recently, Amanda was in favor to walk along with him until he got home. That was when she went back to her house.

"Um…" Milo stammered. "I guess you should go now."

"You go first," Amanda blushed. "I… want to look at you for a litle while."

"I thought we had had a solid Wednesday," he chuckled.

"A little something before I go?" Amanda tried to suggest a very romatic thing. This had occurred for many times but it felt delightful for them.

"You do it…" Milo smiled and blushed. "I don't really like to… you know… be proactive and… go for that."

"It's okay, I totally get it. Let me…" she whispered before putting her lips closer to him. Milo's position was strong enough to hold both of them standing. They closed their eyes and accepted a short warm kiss they gave to each other.

Milo teased and grinned.

"Does this mean you have to go?"

"Don't do that again!" Amanda yelled.

"Hey guys!" Sara passed by. "How was your date… I mean… your day?"

"Great, I mean, we're not on a date yet," Milo replied. "How was your meeting? Is it great? Did you buy the Time Ape doll this year?"

"Yes, of course! But wait, who's Time Ape? Your OC or what?" Sara raised her eyebrow.

Milo and Amanda stared blankly to her. What did she mean about not knowing Time Ape?

* * *

 **A/N: So that's basically how the 'weird bond' works in this story. You may or may not like it, it's your choice. Whatever it is, this theory is important for the big showdown in some final chapters. (I already have a plan for Chapter 20 - the final one and I'm working on it)**

 **Tell me what you think. Leave a review and thanks for your reading! ^^**


	14. Camping Day 1

Back to the black-and-white world, at an uncertain time, in one building of all the buildings in just a kind, after they called 'two hours' had passed, Gretchen and Dakota parked the van on the eleventh floor of the building.

"You sure this will work?" Gretchen feared.

Dakota sighed. His plan was way too risky. But it could be worth them a shot, "Look, we never know unless we try. You just have to believe it."

Gretchen took some time to consider. He was right: for someone who's impatient like her, they had one plan and it was worth a shot. After all, it was better than to sit around and wait for magic to happen like ever.

But what if it failed? She thought of the consequences: the van would be damaged and there was nothing in the timeless world to fix it, they could be injured or even worse, died. Nothing could guarentee Dakota's plan was a success.

"Alright… I'll try," she nodded. "But with one condition."

"I'd love to hear it all," the disco guy agreed.

"So you have figured out the pattern, knowing its positions and choosing to smash through the eleventh floor of the building to try reaching out the holes in the time fabric," the dull woman explained. "As much impatient as I was, this is really worth trying. But I took some time to think, and my condition is… we need a backup plan."

"I knew you would say that!" Dakota heard her clearly and carefully. He sure knew Gretchen very well.

"Thanks…" she felt more excited than ever to start an escape plan. "Now let's bust ourselves out of here!"

They high-fived, as they left the building and looked for anything that could be used for a B-plan in case of the A-plan failed. Conveniently, stuffs that Dakota used to steal from Brick and Savannah also fell down there.

Time Grenade? Wouldn't be a big help.

Night Vision Goggles? Wondering if it could look through time portals. Mostly, it was useless as well.

Grappling Hook and Parachutes? "Now these could work," he said. "If we're not able to get into the portal, at least we can land safely."

After a few minutes, both of them met up and checked what they all had got so far.

"Grappling hook and parachutes? Where did you get these?" Gretchen was impressed but confused as well.

"Um… let's just not talk about that, okay…" he grinned as a way to hide his 'stealing Brick and Savannah stuffs' act.

"You're right. We better not having any distraction," the woman agreed right away. "Let us action."

"Way ahead of ya."

They set up the B-plan in a hurry. They tied the parachutes on the back of the van. They tied the grappiling hook on the roof. Both of them could be used remotely. In case they couldn't get out as A plan predicted, parachutes could be used to land themselves safely. Or they could activate the grappling hook, but that would be disastrous.

And Cavendish's ninja costumes to make them look sneaky. Those were nice extras.

Things had arranged at where they supposed to be. All they needed was the coordinates of the portals.

* * *

 **Thursday, 6:30 a.m.. The day of the camping competition for fun.**

The sun rose beautifully, shone its beautiful sunshine and the warmth coming from it. It wasn't a normal morning in Milo's room if a tree wasn't caught on fire, or his backup accordion fell into very little pieces.

Milo's eyes slowly opened. He groaned and slowly realized the things around his room. Weirdly enouh, nothing fell and broke. The tree was burnt but just a little bit, as he saw. His sleep that night was getting warmer than usual.

"What a good morning," he whispered as he opened up his eyes. "The warmth of the sun, the warmth of the blanket. The warmth of someone's hand wrapping my whole body. It feels like Amanda…"

He gasped and awoke immidiately, realizing what he had just sensed, "Wait, Amanda's here?"

He looked to his right and saw Amanda was curling herself nicely on Milo's bed, "Mom, please don't apart me…" she murmured to her dream.

As Murphy's Law occurred, Milo fell off from his bed and landed back first on the floor. The sudden noise made Amanda snapped out from her dream, "WHO TAKES MY MOM AWAY?"

Amanda awoke secondly and immidiately felt odd, "Wait, this isn't my bed. Why did this put so high?"

She tried to reach the source of that sudden noise and knew it was none other than her 'soul mate,' "Milo?"

"Hey… Amanda?" he said while feeling hurt on his back.

Cut to a few seconds later, still in Milo's room. Amanda gave him a few bumps on Milo's back so he could feel better. Of course this wouldn't happen without her sudden appearance next to him and the weirder thing was, they both wore pijamas and slept in one bed like a married couple.

"That feels good…" Milo exclaimed. It was nice to get treated by his best friend. "Thanks, Amanda," he said, but didn't forget to put up his question. "So… I'm just curious but can you tell me again why you're here?"

"Yes, finally!" Amanda breathed and confessed. "I am just confused as you are. I have no idea why I'm curling myself on your bed! It's not like I can sleepwalk to here and do it all by myself!"

She doubted, "Or… was it you, Milo?'

"No! Of course not!" he furiously objected. "I was sleeping the whole time! In fact…" he revealed and doubted his girlfriend as well. "You said last night that you could see me all day until I finally got home and closed the door! Maybe that was the time you sneaked into my room and while I was sleeping, you took a chance to sleep next to me."

"Are you nuts?! It was risky, wasn't it?" Amanda exclaimed. "Firstly, how should I know when you were going to sleep so I could sneak in. Secondly, I'm not a secret agent or something like that. I would have called attention to myself instantly!"

"Then WHAT WAS IT?!" they called out their questioned loudly as they glared each other.

"Okay, enough enough. That's a nonsense fight for a problem we have yet known fully," Milo said and calmed himself.

"You're right. Whatever the story is, I'm sorry for sneaking into your bed. That makes us… sleeping together twice…" Amanda apologized.

"It's okay. Now you mention it, we did it once. I'm sorry for blaming you too," he calmly comforted his friend.

"That makes us even-steven!" she tilted her head and they both laughed themselves.

Also, let's not make this ruin the fun of the camping competition before it even started.

"So, have you prepared all the plans for our camping today?" Amanda questioned

"You bet! But… what about you?" Milo asked.

"Luckily, my dad and mom go to work. They said they had some issues to do in the early morning," she told him. "And they wouldn't probably know my absence."

"That feels good enough."

"Milo, come down here! Let's have breakfast!" Sara called him from the kitchen.

"Opps, gotta go," he then instructed Amanda. "You stay here. I don't want my family to find out we have slept together. And… it's best to not call more attention."

"Yes, sir Milo!" she obeyed.

* * *

 **8:00 a.m.**

Richard and Milo, Melissa, Zack and Amanda were walking to a park named Hamilton H.. According to national facts, Hamilton H. is a less popular brother of Jefferson G.. His enemies destroyed his rep and the America forgot him. The park's facilities were rather simple. As a band manager of Just Getting Started, a job she applied a few months ago before the summer, four of them got a chance to fix it a little bit.

Though 'a little bit' would be exaggerated.

Places like those were perfect for the camping contest. This summer hosts the second one. The first ever contest was held in the forest and some kids had gained really bad dreams. It was fun but dangerous.

Maybe that was the reason Richard advised them to have fun _and_ safety. It would be no big deal when Hamilton Park is just a simple place to relax and enjoy many days going outdoors.

Richard was in charge of leading them to the one place. Milo was holding the tents for everyone. Melissa and Zack were both holding two tables and a basket of sausages.

The tables weren't a matter. The basket was, instead. It was heavier than they thought it would be. They were going to treat hot dogs to other teams for a few days. Seems like a dream job to them.

Meanwhile, Amanda pulled the rest of the stuffs with a small wagon. Cotton dishes and cups, some bottles of soda inside her backpack, and a barrel of ice. That was needed too.

All things were set up. Let's play under the sun!

"Ah, here we are," Richard said.

"Wow…" Milo, Amanda, Melissa and Zack exclaimed. One thing for sure: it was more crowded than the last time they came. The statue was fine, gladly.

Melissa then noticed something odd, "This looks like a competition for primary schoolers… Are we really going to go in there, dad?"

Richard noticed what his daughter meant and joked her, "So what? Are you shy because you're older? Afraid to lose?"

"You know I won't!" she yelled her father and almost dropped one side of two tables and the basket. "Opps!"

"Luckily you caught in time, or we will never have a chance to win one," Zack mused.

"What's up with you, Melissa?" Amanda felt disappointed.

"Now now guys," Milo motivated his friends. "What's up with those attitudes? Remember, all we need is to get in there and have fun! Do you agree?"

They looked and smiled at each other before all nodding to Milo, "We will!"

"Thanks, Milo. You sure are a perfect leader for the team," the fireman stated.

"What's a leader for the camping team?" Milo questioned.

Richard then explained carefully to him. A team could or could not have a leader. It is considered as a key role in the team. A leader must know really well their teammates and what they need in a situation so they can give their team the best solution. A leader must have general information 'bout other teams. They don't have to spy, of course, but it's best to look over them and know them better. This key role helped a team get the victory last summer.

"No, I don't think I am suitable for that role," Milo had his humbleness.

"Really? Because I'm thinking otherwise."

Hearing his judgement, Milo couldn't hide his shocking expression.

"You have what it takes to lead our team to victory," he said. "You know when to try your best and when to have fun. I think it's a simple matter for you."

"The choice is on you, Milo," Melissa stated. "What'd ya say?"

He sighed then gave his friends a smile, "Alright… I'll try my best for the team!"

"Now that's the spirit!" Richard cheered. "Milo, you're a team leader now. Have a speech or something."

"Right now? On the other side of the road?"

The fireman heard a scream from an old lady needed help. She couldn't cross the road due to a car accident occurred near to her. The fire hose broke and splashed water on the car. Worse, a tree fell on it.

"Say your stuff, Milo. I have some business to treat."

It was just him facing his three best friends. He didn't know what to say while others were being hopeful.

"Oy, Milo! Get more confidence!" Melissa cheered.

"It's just… I don't know what to say…" the Murphy boy stammered.

"Just tell us what you're feeling," Amanda whispered, trying to relax Milo.

"We'll be up for anything you say no matter what!" Zack stated by giving his friend a thumb-up.

Milo nodded and looked thankful. He calmly told his feeling.

"Guys, hear me… Um…" he tried but. "Me and Amanda have slept in my room so let's throw a party while we're at it okay!"

"WHAT?!" Zack and Melissa screamed, opening their jaws.

"MILO!" Amanda yelled. "When I told you to tell your true feelings… haizz…"

" _What have I just said?!"_ Milo smiled and leered at his confusing teammates. "You said what I needed to say is…"

The ginger and the boyband couldn't stop laughing, "Oh my…" Melissa exclaimed. "Hey, Amanda, what name do you want to name you and Milo's baby?"

Amanda blushed and blew out another yell, "Hey! That's not a fun joke, alright!"

"Why do you think you have to say that out?" Zack whispered to Milo and asked. "And how did that happen?"

"Honestly, I don't know," he replied. "I doubted her, but I knew her well and I think she didn't do that. Something else that I didn't know of…"

* * *

Peaceful scenes and spots in the park were filled with tweens and kids from all over Danville. Preparation was first, and second was to careful while walking through small to big crowds, and not to lose Richard Chase.

Initiating mission had been progressing safely. Roles changed during the walkthrough, as Milo and Amanda had the table and the basket while Zack had the tents and Melissa had the wagon, a few moments before they reached the register table.

"Hey there, Grulinda," the fireman greeted Grulinda, who was a scientist' childhood friend. He heard that they weren't too much of friends anymore… "I'm back and… got a team of my own. Meet Milo, Zack, Amanda, and my daughter Melissa."

"Hey? Why am I called lastly?" she griped. "I smell unequalness."

"Don't be ridiculous… I will never call out my daughter for the last for no reason," he informed. "Kids, meet Grulinda. She and me hosted the first year competition."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Grulinda," the quartet greeted her in unison.

She lied her head on a hand standing on the clean table. Her eyes seemed sharp, which told she was truthful to everyone: having nothing to hide and the woman just being her beautiful self.

"Well, hello children. Milo, Zack, Amanda and Melissa, I hope you all have a great time in the contest," she welcomed and encouraged them firstly. "We will have lots of fun activities so you can play in."

"We're not children anymore, so that must have been a mistake," Zack rolled his eyes.

"We'll try of course…" she chuckled.

"Come on guys! If they play like childs, we'll play like big childs!" Milo rooted their friends and they were happy for it.

"Yeah, nice saying, Milo," the boyband said.

"That's what we can agree on!" Amanda cheered.

"This would be fun!" Melissa joined the talk.

A few moments later, all the teams gathered 'round to hear the rules. It had been handled to ten teams, but Grulinda made sure she could get the confirmation.

"Alright everyone, listen up! The rules in the second year was very similar to the first one," she said through a loud speaker. "The competition will be held for many days, depending on how many teams we have this year. We have ten teams, so it means five days for us. In each day, two teams will take turn for the "Free Day". That is the day your whole team can do whatever you want. You can join activities to gain points, or even join with other teams. In the end, we will tally the score and find out the best camping team, who camps fun and safely! Got it?"

"Got it!" all of the teams in the park screamed.

"Alright then, let our competition… begin!"

And so… 'five days at the Hamilton Park' had officially started! That wasn't the official name for the event actually.

* * *

Martin was using his day off to repair the stuffs that he'd eventually break. The busting TV was being taken care of when he heard the noise coming from the doorbell.

"Who is it?" he walked to the front door and opened it. What was the odds that in the morning, Cavendish came and stopped by in front of the Murphy house?

"Oh, hi Cavendish."

"Hello sir Murphy," the British man greeted him. "Is Milo around?"

"Milo huh… I suddenly forgot this…" he groaned before calling Sara who was upstairs. "Hey, Sara, do you remember where Milo is?"

"He says he is having a camping competition with his friends! We discussed this last night, you remember?" Sara reminded her father.

"Oh right, right. So that's that," Martin confirmed.

"Oh, okay," Cavendish then revealed. "You see, I was looking for him to examine a little…"

"Examining? What for?" Martin raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, it's nothing… I'm… just coincidentally… having to go to somewhere…" Cavendish stammered as he quickly ran outside without goodbying.

The Murphy father just chuckled, "Ah… Milo's friends. They're weird."

* * *

As he was speaking of weird and stepped back inside the house, meanwhile in the dark world, Gretchen and Dakota was about to put their risky idea into real action sequence.

"You ready?" Gretchen asked Dakota who was holding the steering wheel.

"Couldn't be readier than this moment," the 1970s guy replied.

"Is that a word?"

"Honestly if we're about to die, I'm not even sure about that."

"That's not helping but here it goes!" Gretchen announced. Dakota already put his feet on the pedal.

"One…"

He used the key. The vehicle started its engine.

"Two…"

He pulled the lever to the "Punch it!"

"And… three!"

"You know you don't have to put an 'and' but all right…" Dakota commented.

He stepped on the pedel and drove Gretchen's car in the fastest speed as possible. It smashed through the glasses slowly turned its head to the ground.

"Where's the portal? Where's the portal?" Dakota questioned. Immidiately, he saw two portals 30 meters below him.

"There! There! Th-There! Take us in!" as the car kept its pace, Gretchen ordered Dakota. "Put us in the right portal."

"Oh… this isn't good…" Dakota yelled. "We can't drive in mid-air!"

Gretchen expected for this kind of situation. She put a hand on a secondary brake which had been modified to activate the parachute.

"Gretchen, no! Don't do that. We're gonna slow down," Dakota said.

"And just after you have warned that we're falling too fast," Gretchen retorted, worriedly. "We can't fall right at the desired hole if the steering wheel is broken."

Dakota paused. She had a point there.

He knows women' heart, basically. They put safety in front of everything on the line. He can't blame Gretchen for being too cautious. It's natural of her to rise the cautiouness' level at its best.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. Dakota just meant what he meant. He couldn't do it in Gretchen's way because he would use all of his chances he had got.

He pulled Gretchen to him. It seemingly looked like a hug, but his intention was to pull her to safety while he was pulling out an extremly powerful air shooter. He stood up, held Gretchen on his shoulder and shot a large invisible barrel of air. The shot had dug a hole on the car's bottom which was facing the building.

The hole he made changed the vehicle's direction. It went far off the building they had choosen to be fallen out. Just as he wanted, the black van came nearer to the portal.

Gretchen was blushing. Not only by Dakota's hug, but also by the sudden strong breeze in her hair.

Her fear had gotten from bad to worse.

* * *

Milo took the responsibility to check out other teams. He promised to do it nicely, politely.

 **Day 1 at Camping Competition**

Though it wasn't the free day for his team, but leaving the team for a while won't hurt the total score. It is necessary for teams who don't have a free day to do the best they could to organize the events.

Rules are rules, but the most crucial thing is to have fun. Milo was looking through many teams. Each of them set out a different kind of camping, with one of many various themes. One of the teams were selling vindaloo and bitterballen, and that girl was probably asking the triangle-headed boy out.

He didn't expect all the teams had prepared so much. How could his team be compared to their dedication?

"Well, my team is here to have fun, and I'll make all of them happy," Milo assigned to himself.

While he was travelling in his thoughts, he bumped into another girl who was passing by.

It was fortunately a slight bump, but Milo had aplogized. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know you were…"

"It's my fault too," the girl told him softly. "I should have walked instead of rushing…"

They both stopped mid-sentence, as each of them knew who one was facing with.

"Lola…?"

"Milo…? You're here?!" she questioned.

"You bet I am! You're here too?" Milo grinned.

Lola nodded.

They were about to reveal their reason, but one kept letting the other to talk and they spent a few seconds stammering.

"You go first," Milo stood up.

"Alright…" Lola said. "You know… it's a coincidence that we're here in this camping competition. How coincident that we bumped into each other. I was running back to get some stuffs and you mindlessly stepped in front of me. How coincident that we stopped our sentence right after we faced each other. It's…"

"It's surreal and coincident, I know…" Milo chuckled. He swept the dirt off Lola's shirt and asked. "By the way, you're here then that means... Zane and Madge are here as well."

"You bet. I think they will be excited to see you," Lola said and grabbed Milo's hand, pulled him to her camp. "Come on, let's meet them."

"O-okay," he smiled and accepted her welcome.

Meanwhile, Amanda was handling the sausages one by one when she suddenly dropped the plate. The fall left on the plate a small scratch. Amanda picked it up much to her nerve.

"What's wrong, Amanda?" Melissa questioned. "Hardly do you drop things just like that."

"I'm-I'm fine," she muttered.

Melissa believed her and left with no doubt.

Back to Amanda, she felt unusual. Her hands shook much more than necessary. Her heart skipped a beat. Her mind was filled with anxious thoughts.

She wondered what was happening to herself. Milo had just left for ten minutes and she felt unsafe. A pleasant breeze could make her think a wild animal was going to tear her off.

Amanda heard something just as same as the situation she fell in. If a peaceful scene doesn't go as well as you have hoped, it can be meant that your close person is in danger, or injured if worse.

There were two problems with that theory. Firstly, was she and Milo really that bonded to each other. Sure, they had hugged, and sometimes kissed several times but could it truly show that they were soulmates? Secondly, Milo could get hurt in the middle of the serene camping zone. If that happens then Amanda will have the right to be worried.

"Maybe I'm too worried," Amanda said to herself. She got back to her work. Besides having some fried sausages for sale, they were also going to treat themselves.

She thought Milo was probably having something else to do along beside watching other teams. He could be more sastified with that plan.

* * *

A few moments later, Milo was playing badminton with Lola while Zane and Madge were watching on them. They are equally skillful at it so there hadn't been a turning point of the match yet.

"How was your family, Lola?" Milo questioned.

"Good, good. Some major events occurred to my family, but I'm glad that they all turned out fine," Lola answered. "You can ask Zane about that."

"Not that brother-sister relationship anymore, right?" he stated. "Zane must be very happy to have you as a 'soulmate', I guess."

"I can hear that!" Zane yelled. "But she's more than my family."

Unintentionally, Zane's comment reddened Lola's cheek, as she lost her streak and her ball.

"Zane, what are you doing? I can't focus because of you!" Lola said.

"There, there," Madge grinned and teased her friend girl. "Zane has just said the right thing, what gives?"

"Not during the match, that is," the girl retorted. "Milo, enough about me. Tell me how it is at your side."

Milo served the ball and revealed to Lola, "Where should I start…? We haven't seen each other for two months since that… mayhem across the galaxy. And… many things happened in the end of school year and a few first days of school."

"Sounds cool. How did your schoolyear ended?" she asked.

"I had a movie presentation with Melissa. Then I went to Amanda's birthday party before summer started," Milo told her. "Right now, me, Melissa, Zack and Amanda are a team."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Sorry…" Lola chuckled awkwardly. A minute of talking and the serve Milo gave couldn't even conclude. "Do you guys still like each other?"

Milo stopped moving for a nickle of time as he blushed. The ball landed outside the field and he blushed, "Actually… we do… It's kind of an embarassing trip."

"Oooohhh…" that ticked Madge and Zane's ears.

"Sorry, I don't want to talk about it," Milo smiled acceptedly. "It will recall me about two months ago – the heart-wrenching adventure…"

"I understand. I'm just worried for her… and you," she stated. "I mean, we have been worried for you guys. We haven't seen each other since then. So if you don't mind, I just want to know how you guys are…"

"Perfectly good. We have finally warmed up to _best_ friends," Milo said happily.

* * *

"Amanda, you kind of have shaken yourself up," Melissa came to ask Amanda while preparing two big desks. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, heheh," Amanda exclaimed. "Nothing big. I'm just wondering about this grand camping competition, that's all. It's crowded and I feel a bit nervous ya know…"

"Really?" Melissa then told to her. "Well, we should get Milo back. We're about to start out our activities."

Over the morning, Melissa saw Amanda was a bit different than the other days. She dropped things at least three times and didn't take part in her and Zack's fun conversation (Amanda is less of words, but she often brings joy to every topic she invests in).

"Hey guys, I'm back!" Milo called back to his team.

"There's our guy," Melissa exclaimed.

"Taking you long enough. Have you got any notes for our team?" Richard questioned.

"You can say it in that way, yes," Milo nodded. "And Melisa, Zack, Amanda, there's one team you might be glad to be seeing them."

"Huh, who are they?" Amanda asked and gave him a bottle of water. Unintentionally portaying as the newly-wed, Amanda gave him a massage on his feet.

"Wait, Amanda!" Milo tried to resist. "I appreciate your help but…" he groaned as he suddenly felt hurt on the toes.

"I know there's something wrong to your foot. Must have been walking and running quite a lot, and with Murphy's Law in full force…" Amanda wasn't the best at physical treatment but she knew what she was trying to do.

And in her mind, she knew what was happening to Milo.

While Zack was innocently being impressed, Melissa was having some thoughts about Amanda again.

"Um… Amanda, how do you know Milo is hurt on his feet?" Melissa questioned curiously.

"I just know it," the Hispanic girl shurgged.

"Is that so?" she put a finger on her chin and was contemplating.

" _Just moments ago, Amanda was a bit of an empty mind out there. And when Milo came back, boom!"_ Melissa thought. _"Amanda knew Milo was hurt at the first sight! She had the improfessional view!"_

The whole new matter about Amanda had caused the domino effect. Melissa trying to examine Amanda in her thoughts made Zack intrigued.

"What's wrong, Melissa? You don't look very happy?" Zack whispered.

Melissa was startled. It was just Zack, who could reasonably give a doubt on her's happening, "Nothing, heheh. I'm thinking that maybe we can put a shade around here."

The girl suddenly pulled Zack in nervously. She started to grab his hand next to her and exclaimed. "Man, it's hot today, don't ya think?"

"Y-yeah. You're right!" he agreed right away. "What do you think, Mr. Chase?"

"Shades? No problemo!" the fireman stated. "I can set it up to all of you within ten minutes."

"Thanks, Dad! You're the best!"

While treating for Milo, Amanda was hearing the laughters from Zack, Melissa and Richard. Especially, she spotted that Melissa holding Zack's arm, having fun with him.

That made her smile above the slightest.

* * *

"Yummy corndogs!" Milo called for a few customers. "Hey, Amanda, what do you think I should say next?"

"Hmm… something like…" Amanda put her words into action immidiately. "These are made from the caring hands of the pretty girl right here."

She admittedly apologized to her teammates, "Sorry guys, but this is for clickbaiting. I can do it once it a while."

"Yeah sure," Melissa rolled her eyes. She was the one to deliver the sausges _she_ fried to Amanda.

"Come on, Melissa. You gotta admit, this is terrefically fun," Zack stated.

"We're gonna do this for a day," Richard said to his daughter. "Tomorrow we'll do something else."

After selling for an affordable amount of people, Amanda then noticed someone familiar standing in front of their camp. (The sun was almost set down though)

"Uh, Milo, is this the familiar team you're talking about?" Amanda questioned. She knew it was Lola, but playing around to make things a little more awkward.

"What do you mean 'this'?" Lola raised an eyebrow. "Milo, I'm your customer, aren't I?"

"Of course! Welcome!" Milo chuckled. "And Amanda was just messing with ya."

"Long time no see, Lola. How have you been? And how has Zane been as well?" Amanda asked.

Lola groaned. "You guys keep asking this again and I'll say, we're both good. There! I state it in case Melissa is going to question me the same question."

"Really? Because the whole galaxy had…"

"Uh-nuh. Don't talk about the past in front of me," the brown-haired girl sushed the perfectionist. "You can see Zane if you want though. He kind of misses you out there."

"He misses me? I think… I'm a bad person around here…" Amanda touched.

"No worries. He forgives you and just wants things to get back to where it was. What can I say? Mhm," Lola told her while paying and eating the corndog she bought. "You guys really get each other a lot."

Amanda agree with her, "I'll talk to him later."

No sooner had Lola left than the afternoon changed into the evening. No rules told them to, but it was the time they rested up and counted how much snacks they had sold for a day.

"We have sold all of them. And from what I can tell, we have received 200 bucks and… 30 points of 40 for the first day, so that's quite a lot," Richard announced. "You all have been working hard. So I'm gladly to announce that…"

"…we will have fun tomorrow!" Milo put it simply.

"Or to put it more specifically, we will organize a simple game of your choice. Make sure to show your team's spirit!"

Zack, Melissa and Amanda nodded. The orange-haired girl suggested, "Now who wants to hear some good creepy stories?"

"I hope those don't have anything to do with fishes," Zack feared.

"One of those is called 'The Old Man and the Goldfish,'" Melissa stated which feared the boyband even more horribly. "Just kidding. I know you too well."

Amanda looked up to the sky. It was a few more hours before the whole team slept outside.

"Hey Amanda, we're serving dinner. You wanna come?" Milo held Amanda's hand and gestured her about his offer.

"You guys go ahead," she gently parted her hand from Milo's. "I have to do a few things first."

"Okay, suit yourself!" the boy thumbed up and went back to inside the camping spot.

Amanda slowly put her step further to the park. She forgot to ask Milo where Lola's team was placed, but certainly it would be more exciting to find it by herself.

* * *

"There you go, little firefly!" Zane was talking to a firefly at the big tree in the center of the park. Only him would bother to go outside alone in such a place in the dark. This is the lifestyle he prefers so who can blame him.

He continued with his monologue, "Go back! Why would you come here alone when fireflies are supposed to go by a swa.."

Zane then heard some footsteps before it stopped. A figure was standing 3 meters away from his position. He could know who that was but to make it clear, he needed the help from the lonely firefly.

And much to his guess, Amanda was there.

"How in the world is there a firefly in this park?" she questioned. "And… it's flying around my face."

"Weird huh?" Zane chuckled. "I don't know how to let him go back to his family. One little man in this amazing world…"

"Circle of life, huh?" Amanda agreed. She began to spea to Zane but carefully. "I don't know if you're surprised to see me here…"

"Of course I'm not. You're in Danville, and wherever it's Danville, there's you I'm looking for," the fashion boy stated.

"You really think so?" Amanda was flattered.

"Mhm. I was taught that we will both do our best no matter what happens!" Zane stated.

She then sat down next to him. The view in front of them was conviniently beautiful: a swarm of delightful stars shining on the sky. Both Amanda and Zane love it whenever it comes to these.

"Zane… about the event three months ago… I'm-"

Zane sushed her in a sudden, "Nuh-uh. Don't say anything about the past in front of me."

" _Uh-nuh. Don't talk about the past in front of me,"_ Amanda recalled Lola's line earlier.

The fashion boy continued, "All we can do is to move forward to the future. Sure, the past is one step of my life but, it's something that we can't change right? The present and future, we can."

"You… forgive me?" Amanda asked. "Admit it, I have done many horrible things…"

"And you know you have done it. Maybe we were mad at you, but it's okay now," Zane tried to comfort her with a simple smile.

The perfectionist smiled back. Glad that one of her best friends had given her another chance.

"Enough about me. How are you and Milo?" Zane questioned. "I mean, it's okay if you can't share it. Just want to know how you guys have been."

It took a few moments for her to reply.

"I guess we're kind of closed. We have interacted more than we did a year ago," Amanda said. "A local opera, a school dance, a cake competition, a band's concert, an award show, even my birthday party and this camping competition have given me plenty of chances to know him better."

She confessed, "I… love him. No, more like I really like him. Not because he's an extraordinary Murphy, but because of how he treats everyone around him."

"Let me guess," Zane made an example about Milo. "He's the kind of person that always does the best for you despite what you make him do can drive him nuts. Am I right?"

"Yeah, I'm the one…" Amanda smiled. "It's just he cares for me so much… and… I have no idea when I started to have a big crush on him. Probably since that birthday."

Zane was glad for her. He couldn't tell how deep Milo and Amanda was in a few words, but those few words could be written in a motivated sentence.

"Hey, Amanda!" he grabbed her attention. "As your friend, I'll cheer you on anything you decide. So keep doing your best okay?"

Amanda nodded in agreement, "Sure! We have each other's backs."

The two perfectionists looked up to the sky full of stars again. They were certainly beautiful in the summer, even though it wasn't exactly crowded

* * *

Some weak footsteps were heard in the black-and-white world until it was revealed to be an old woman. She was walking on her foot and the stick of holding.

Strolling around, she saw two figures lie down on the ground. Their skin was covered with scratches, bruise and some drops of blood. Not too far from them was a black van – weirdly were the first half remained.

She ticked her tongue and felt pity for them.

"I should do something."

* * *

 **A/N: NOOO! I'm sorry but Dakota and Gretchen getting hurt is part of my storyline so it's supposed to occur.  
And if you don't really know who Lola or Zane is, you can check out "The Note" where you have seen them physically. I just give them a sneak into my biggest chapter story ever.**

 **6 more chapters left starting from Chap 15 guys! Tell me all of your thoughts and I'll see you next time. Bye!**


	15. We're Friends Again (Part 1)

"Milo, please think again!" Melissa suggested. "Thinking about how hard you and Amanda try to go on a normal friendship."

"I don't know Melissa," the boy sighed. His pupils bubbled up with tears. Rarely did Milo ever cry or be sad. But he couldn't take those heavy emotions anymore.

He could cry his heart out, as the only thing he could think of was to blame himself. "It's just… I don't think I can do anything for her. I… don't know what to do."

Melissa gently soothed Milo on his back. She felt sorry for him too. It was just too hard for him to accept the first setback in a friendship.

The ginger decided to be one of the people to sort this out, and Milo would know what he could do to maintain the best friend girl he could ever ask for. The one who deeply cares for him and never wants him to be alone.

That reminded her of a fact about Milo: despite he had improved through times, he still kept the hard situation to himself in order not to let his friends hurt.

It happened to him and Melissa once. She knew it, and she would make sure the same mistake never repeated.

* * *

"Come on, Amanda!" Zack exclaimed while trying to pull Amanda up with his hand. "I can't let you be…"

"No…" she whispered. Her tone was cold like she doesn't give a care about anything in the world that she happens to love and appreciate for so long.

"I appreciate your help, Zack, but it's not gonna work…" Amanda said, probably even murmured.

"What's not gonna work? And don't be like this, Amanda! It's embarrassed to know that I call out your name twice," Zack mused.

"It's just…" she confessed, her voice was almost completely shattered into pieces. "I… don't know what to do. It's just Murphy's Law… how can't I talk to him like I used to… I-it makes no sense…"

Zack then stopped pulled her. He realized he should let Milo and Amanda solve this problem by themselves, not by the force of a bystander.

He touched as he saw Amanda hiding down her faces, wrapping her arms and crying. That's not the Amanda we know. (Note: an exclamation shouldn't be taken too literally)

* * *

 **Camping Day 3, during mid-day nap time**

The mid-day rest came in day three as almost every competitors fell asleep.

All of them except four certain students apparently studying in the Jefferson County Middle School.

The conflict coming from Milo and Amanda really got on Melissa and Zack's nerve. Right after their effort to pull them back with no actual result, they stepped back to the park and met up at the team's camp. Noted that both Milo and Amanda picked a far corner in the park to sit each.

Sitting together under the shade looking the sleepy bodies all over the place, Zack and Melissa were both worried and didn't know what one needed to say to the other.

"Judging from your impression…" Melissa opened her words.

"…it's a bust, right?" Zack followed.

Both acceptably nodded. They sat close together but it didn't matter to as a major problem as the Pistachion, Octalia, and Milo and Amanda's… breakup.

"I'm not accepting my friends breaking up!" Melissa told Zack. "I'm not gonna let Milo back to where he had been impressively lonely!"

"I feel sorry for them. But it's not gonna over. Amanda just feels so off and I want to have her character back!" the boyband replied. "You know she loves Milo and the whole world more than herself."

"We should do something," both agreed in unison.

"But how…" the ginger exclaimed.

"I guess we should roll back to how this happened firstly," Zack stated.

* * *

 **Back to the Camping Day 2, early morning.**

Milo spurted out his most excited yawn than ever, being ready to take on another day.

Once he finished observing the sunrise, he turned to ask his friends. "Ready guys? We will have a full day of adventure."

"Let us finish our breakfast then we'll talk," Melissa exclaimed.

"Yeah, I agree. Your excitement always drives you faster than us," Zack nodded.

"Not me," Amanda jumped in. "I have nothing against Milo's excitement. We'll arrange sport activities today right?"

"Yeah, and according to this note of assignment I received it will be… tennis and soccer!" the Murphy announced.

"Ha! When it comes to soccer, no one can beat me," the boyband stated.

"…I really need to beat you up again," Melissa rolled her eyes before turning to Milo. "We'll handle the soccer event. You and Amanda will have… tennis."

"I LOVE tennis!" the perfectionist shrieked before she calmed herself. "I mean, I have been secretly… longing to play… another match. I played once a long time ago."

"So we all agree on what we should participate. Do you have anything to say about "Let's do our best!"?" Milo screamed and Amanda, Zack and Melissa gave him the same "Totally!"

Richard looked over them while turning off the sprinklers that had been watering the pathways during their sleep. He gently smiled and thought, _"Keep it up, Milo. You're doing great."_

* * *

The second day of the competition: sports. Each team would take part in two tournaments and if they got the good place on the leaderboard, they would get high scores.

Zack and Melissa volunteered to take part in soccer. The rules were just taking the the control of the ball in the field before time running out. Their first opponent seemed to be no match for them, proved by an easy win with 40/60 seconds of controlling the ball.

"Three more opponents for us!" Zack high-fived Melissa.

"We'll just have to go to each sides of the playground and we'll win!" the ginger confirmed.

* * *

Meanwhile, the tennis side with Milo and Amanda was just getting warmed up. They stretched then entered the field to get ready. Five more minutes until their match so the opponents should be coming anytime then.

Amanda took a glance at Milo while he was tying the laces of his sneakers. He would never finish doing it, as sneakers with laces always betray him from one way to another.

"Here, let me do that for you," Amanda kneeled down the same way he was doing, tying all the laces together with ease.

Milo was impressed, "No way…! How can you do that?! Murphy's Law betrays me a lot by shoelaces and…"

"I don't know," the girl shurgged. "But I do know that I want… to tie Milo's shoe laces, that's all," Amanda slightly titled her head and smiled.

Milo blushed warmly, "Thanks Amanda… And you should probaby stand up. I'm fine now."

He then gleamed at her posture while standing under the sun. She looked different than usual when it came to tennis, he supposed.

Amanda was wearing a sleeveless white shirt and a magenta skirt. Rarely does Milo see her wear a skirt so it was pleasant to see her under the new light.

Amanda noticed Milo had somehow attracted to her change of clothes. She was wondering how did he feel about her new look, _"I wonder if Milo likes my new look… He was obviously shy back to while I was kneeling and tying his shoe laces…"_

"You ready, Milo? This is our first game of tennis together," Amanda said.

"I'm ready ya not?" he joked which made Amanda elbow him for making that joke. "Just messing with ya. I… like your skirt and…" he took his words carefully. "your hairstyle is cute."

"You even notice my hairstyle?!" Amanda was amazed. She never thought Milo could notice even the smallest change on her. Still, it was unexpected of Milo to compliment her on things like that.

"That's… nice of you," she smiled and looked down.

"What's wrong, Amanda? You look embarassed. Did I say something outrageous?" Milo got the wrong idea. Either he really had no idea or he did this intentionally for other purpose.

"Of course not! I'm… flattered!" the girl chuckled. "I really am. Nothing else."

Milo then surprised her with a few sudden moves. He wrapped his arms around her back (the weird thing was he rolled his arms under hers) and pulled her in for a hug. "I know that you're embarrassed, Amanda. Tell me, what's happening," he whispered.

The girl was from being surprised to be touched, later feeling a bit forced. Amanda warned him silently, "Milo… we're… in the field!"

"They weren't looking anyway," Milo said.

It was the first time she saw Milo pull off such a bold move to her like that. His hug wasn't like the few ones they had. It was weird and she could feel her chest slightly resting on his. Amanda might skip a heart beat or half of it. Her head stayed comfortably on his shoulder and his cheek. Her shoulder was kind of hurt.

"Let go, Milo!" she would love to make out longer but the hurt on her shoulder was betraying her. She warned him one more time, "You… hurt my shoulder."

"Opps! Sorry!" Milo immidiately let go off her and regretted doing what he had done. "Didn't know I was hurting you. I didn't mean to, really. But I'm sorry, if I hurt you…"

"Milo, Milo, Milo, that's okay!" she quickly comforted him. "I…" Amanda felt she had to tell him how she had been feeling about him. "Well… I didn't know if you liked this dress or not. I planned to ask but you figured it out already. I'm… flattered."

"Wow…" Milo chuckled. "That alone takes a weird hug. I'm… kind of sorry."

"That's okay, I understand. You really care what I feel, I get it!" she comforted him again. "Say, maybe we should make out for real. Somewhere… just the two of us…"

"Um… this…" the Murphy boy scratched his head. How could he reply to something like that? "I don't know… We're just middle-school students don't ya think?"

"Just kidding! You just gave me a… warm feeling," Amanda teasingly pushed him. "Anyway, we should get back to our line."

Milo had been all charged up. Tennis isn't his expertise but his experience in badminton helps, "We're ready as ever."

"Definitely," Amanda exclaimed.

"Surely now," Milo followed.

"Absolutely."

"There's no doubt,"

"I can guarantee our success…"

"…right after we see the opponents…"

Their minds started to be blank in a moment where they saw a familiar duo enter the field just in time.

They had no complaint about it, but why did it have to be them first?

Amanda thought worriedly, _"What's the author trying to do? There are millions of couple to be chosen from, why did it have to be them?"_

Milo thought while seeing a bit of nervous start to appear on Amanda's expression, _"Calm down, Amanda. I think I have known this trick from the author. Calm down… It's just a person with whom I played badminton yesterday."_

"Yo, Amanda, Milo! It's you guys again! Hey!" Lola shouted and waved at them.

"Hey, Lola," Amanda chuckled. _"I guess Lola views this as a normal thing to happen."_

"Milo, Amanda, I must warn you…" it was Zane's turn to speak out his extreme confidence. "When it comes to tennis, no one can beat my ace. You got that?"

"Hey, let's just have fun and do our best, okay?" Milo announced on which everyone agreed.

We're gonna join in for an intense match, apparently.

* * *

The event had been progressively doing well with Zack and Melissa. They just had their second win and had been on the third place of the leaderboard. So far, so good.

Melissa was strolling around the park to find some bottles of water. She could let Zack do it, but the boyband had been the hardcore of the team and she didn't want to bother him. Zack had asked for it but she insisted not letting him.

That was said, she had recently cared for him more than the usual. To Melissa, Zack can be a killjoy but he's also the comedic one in the group. He usually makes everyone laugh at him and he doesn't know how much fun he has given to everyone from an innocent joke. Also, Zack loves music. He may never know how impressed and touched Melissa is when hearing his voice from the songs of Lumberzacks, Just Getting Started…

" _No way… I'm thinking about him too much,"_ the girl shook her head. _"I'll just take for us a few bottles of water and done. Which is annoying since I can't find it anywhere…"_

She then overheard a conversation inside the tent of a team, which involved something related to her teammates.

"So how are we going to find Amanda Lopez and Milo Murphy in this park, sir Block?" a child's voice came to her ears. She stopped near the tent and eavedropped the conversation.

" _What's this whole thing about Milo and Amanda? Is it…"_

"It's convinient to know that they're here!" another man who brilliantly disguises himself as a random teenager joined the talk. "How can you even affor these costumes Mr. Block?"

" _Mr. Block? Haven't I heard of that name before?"_ Melissa thought.

"Geez, stop it, Bolsa, with your big mouth and all," the old guy exclaimed. "Our disguises are brilliant and there's nothing left to adjust. Anyway…" he released a sigh before getting to the main point. "We know that those two teenagers, Amanda Lopez and Milo Murphy are here and according to what I have noted in this paper… they will be meeting up at this park for the Camping Competition."

"It says that they have a deep bond that can be located easily right?" his guard questioned.

"Yes… Their power is strong enough to reform the timeline, too strong for them to even know its existence," the head of B.O.T.T. said. "I guess I have to remind you all that right before some kind of movie presentation at school started, Cavendish and Dakota had changed the timeline willy-nilly, again."

" _I don't understand what they're saying and I'm trying to…_

 _The power of Milo and Amanda's bond could reform the timeline?_

 _Cavendish and Dakota mess up again?"_

The old guy continued, "How stupid they were. They swapped the papers of Milo and another friend of his, Melissa, in order to change the plans of them going up to the stage to finish their presentation. Because… if they didn't do that, the ground would be collapsed under both of them. And the plan… never met success."

"It's great that you know all of these details," one of his guard joined.

"Gretchen reported me so. Anyway, turned out that the temporal transporter of their holding had been glitching. It caused errors to every timeline they met so they went to the future and changed it. After that, the timeline changed again. There was no disaster and the temporal transporter was renewed, until they broke it again…"

" _So the movie presentation was supposed to be full of disasters? How come didn't I know any of it?"_ she feared, sweat starting to flow around her face. Suddenly, she fell on the ground and let out a small shriek.

That took the group's attention.

"Who's that?" Block questioned.

"I'll check outside!" the guard volunteered and checked outside.

" _Shoot!"_ Melissa quickly recovered herself and hid behind some bush nearby. Gladly, she made it on time before the guard exited the tent to have a check outside.

"Hmm…" the man exclaimed. "I could have sworn I heard someone outside."

She hid at an obvious spot for the people who walks along the pavement to see, but not obvious for the campers. She covered her mouth, shivered and tried not to make any weird noise.

The man started to step back. Just in time, Zack saw Melissa hiding, "Yo Melissa-"

"Quit it!" she loudly whispered, as she pushed him down immidiately to the ground to hide along with her.

The man turned around again, "I could have sworn I heard some weird noise," he exclaimed before entering the tent for real. "Maybe I imagine too much."

He was in the dark about a weird circustance happening behind those bush.

Melissa's pull unintentionally turned into a hug. She lied down and pinned Zack on top of her. She had one hand holding his back and another holding her mouth.

Both of them blushed, then released each other instantly.

"Gaah! Melissa, what do you think you're doing?" Zack tried to cover his embarassment.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to!" Melissa looked away from him. "It's all my fault. I didn't mean to!"

" _But… that moment…"_ her mind recalled that moment. _"Has his eyes always been beautiful like that?_

 _No… what are you even thinking? The more serious matter is in front of you."_

While Melissa was slowly putting herself back to the aforementioned position, Zack's mind was still blank about that situation.

" _No, no, no way. She pulled me to her for a hug. Is that…"_

Zack turned around and noticed Melissa was signaling him to come to hear something she was hearing.

"What is it?" Zack asked her.

"Shhh…" the girl whispered. "Just listen!"

The boyband had no idea what she meant but he was going to do as she instructed.

"There's no one outside, sir. Man, maybe it's just my imagination," the guard said when the first feminine voice tickled her ears.

"Maybe you should have a doctor check you carefully," Savannah said.

"Yeah, and I can afford to call a psychologist to do that," Brick added.

"Good thinking, you two…" Brick said it, sarcastically.

Both stepped back a meter away to disucss what both of them had heard.

"I think I heard one of those voices somewhere," Zack said.

"It's my 'You Go Girl' mentor, her partner I suppose and their boss. Brick, Savannah and Mr. Block!" Melissa grabbed her hair anxiously. "The threat of Gretchen has come here… and they're looking for Milo and Amanda…"

"Looking for them?!" Zack shocked. "For what?"

"Keep hearing…"

The Block head continued his speech. "So you all clear what you have to do right? That glitched temporal transporter will cause troubles again. So firstly, consider destroying it. Secondly… I do want to give Cavendish and Dakota a piece of my mind… but all the things they have done are for a kid named Milo Murphy, so I want to invite him over and ask him a few questions…"

"Invite Milo over?" Zack whispered.

"Have some questions?" Melissa followed.

"By inviting him over, you mean kidnapping and torturing him, right?" Savannah questioned, which Block loudly gave her an answer.

"Absolutely! Your constant failures drive my anger and I need you to do it whatever it takes! GOT IT?!"

"Y-yy-es, sir!" Brick and Savannah shivered.

Melissa and Zack widened their eyes? They might have heard his intention from Gretchen but it was the first time they overheard it lively.

Melissa grasped Zack's hand and ran ahead, pulling the boyband from behind, "Quickly! We have to warn them about what's happening. But first…"

"Uh… right, but what are we supposed to do?" Zack wondered. "The sports event hasn't been over yet and…"

"At what time do you still even think about sports?!" she yelled at him. "This is life matter, Zack. Milo and Amanda is in trouble and we can't just do nothing."

"I know… Sorry, Melissa. I'll try my best," the boyband said. "But again, what should we do next?"

Melissa dragged Zack back to their camp. She didn't tell him what to do yet but weirdly enough, she was digging inside Milo and Amanda's backpacks.

"Um… what are you doing, Melissa? Those are Milo and Amanda's backpacks…"

"Just shut up and do what I order," she cried.

"…You haven't ordered me anything yet…" he stated.

"Take this!" she threw Milo's sweater vest, his shorts and the slippers at him.

"Wait, what will I have to do with these?" the boyband raised an eyebrow. Then he saw Melissa holding Amanda's jacket and jeans.

"You'll see, Zack. If what they want is to ask Milo and Amanda a few questions and maybe rant at them, we'll just have to sacrifice for them!" the girl announced.

"Say WHAAAT?! Don't you mean…"

* * *

After 20 minutes, some changes of clothing and having bought two ice cream cones, Melissa and Zack were sitting on a bench dressing as Amanda and Milo respectively. The situation was about to get even wackier.

"Um… Zack, thanks for buying us some ice cream on the way," Melissa reluctantly thanked him, feeling like they were hanging out on a date.

"You're welcome," he smiled. "I know that you like vanilla so I bought two cones…"

"You're saying you want vanilla as well? How cute," Melissa flirted.

"Yeah, don't mention it," Zack rolled his eyes.

They started to be silent for a while. Melissa still had something to remind him.

"Zack, remember, this is a date of us disgusing as Milo and Amanda..."

"Hope our covers won't be blown," Zack stated.

The orange-haired girl nodded. "From what I can tell, they can find Milo and Amanda only based on their deep bond. Here's what I imagined."

She lectured him what she had been thinking:

"Deep-bond", an adjective used for a couple that has a developed romantic relationship along with mutual understanding to each other. There are two criterias that they will judge from:

1\. Always hanging out one by one in any place, on any time, under any circumstances.

2\. Always showing acts of pleasing, understanding and pleasuring your 'soulmate'.

"For example, I just finished my ice cream cone," she finished it for real. "You saw it, so you thought you could share me some of yours."

"Hey! Those are sugary as heck…"

"I know! But if we want to save them, we have to be like them. We have to save them, don't you know?!" the girl determined, and Zack widened his eyes in surprise.

How could her act of a sudden be able to save Milo and Amanda from the evil ones?

* * *

Meanwhile, Milo, Amanda, Zane and Lola was enjoying the game without any doubts that serious situations was happening outside of the match. The game had been tight. It was 5-5 and whichever team reached 7 points would win the match.

"And Amanda is having the ball. She throws it in the air. She swings to the back by a margin," Madge, a best friend of Zane and Lola narrating the match. "Will she gain another point with an ace?"

" _I got this…"_ Lola thought as Amanda's ace started to serve.

"Not this time, Amanda!" Zane suddenly left his position and tried to take on Amanda's speedy ace.

The act shocked Lola. As a result, they bumped on each other and fell on the field. Neither of them could handle Amanda's fast break point.

Amanda and Milo cheered, but the atmosphere quickly turned silent, as Lola and Zane were being at some weird positions.

Lola lied on the ground and Zane faced her from the top. Luckily his hands held himself above the ground or things could get more awkward.

Lola was blushing for a while. She then shoved him away and teared up.

"Wait, wait, Lola! I'm sorry!" Zane quickly turned to comfort her.

"You mean thing!" Lola cried. "I can handle that shot. How can you push me over like that? It's not fair!"

"Lola, he knows his fault…" Milo chuckled. "Here, I have some bandages in case you're hurt somewhere."

"Are you guys okay?" Amanda questioned.

"Lola…" Zane then grabbed both of her hands and rubbed it. He knew that always works well when he wants to ease her pain. "I'm sorry…"

The boy hugged her and teared up on her shoulder, "I know, I was a jerk. I didn't trust you on that ace and I was wrong. I'm sorry. I really am…"

"Zane…" Lola exclaimed.

A guard of Mr. Block saw that act upon his eyes, and taking notes that their acts weren't that understanding and pleasuring each other.

"Pass…"

Back to the field…

Lola smiled. True, he had hurted her but that didn't mean she would be angry at him forever, "Zane, you jerk… I… love you… You're my family, how can I deny you at anything?"

Madge smiled. She was glad that everything worked out well.

"Oh, you guys are back to normal. I guess it's time to recover Lola," Milo took out a few bandages and put them on some scratches on her skin. Aside from those, no serious injuries occurred.

"Thank you, Milo! Shall we going? I'm feeling really well now," Lola confirmed.

"Yeah!" Milo and Amanda cheered for her before getting back to their own positions.

"And Zane…" she called him as he looked at her and asked, "What is it? Look, I promise the same thing never happens…"

The girl shook her head, "No… I'm not mad anymore," she smiled. "In fact, let's do our best next time, okay?"

Zane was glad to know she had forgave him. In fact, his confidence rised once again, "You can count on me!"

* * *

"It's 6 to 6!" Madge started to announce more excitedly. "One more point and we'll know which team has the win!

Milo receives the hard slash from Zane. He tries to cover it. Oh my, it is on field. It's coming on Lola's direction. Will she make it?"

Lola winked at Zane before making another hard slam on field. The ball moved so fast but Amanda could be able to make it even though it was further away from her position. With Milo, he could handle it again but he wasn't as skillful as Amanda even though the ball was nearer to him.

"No way…!" they yelled. Both swang simultaneously for the ball.

But the slams were so harsh that both of them broke the tennis racket. Lola, Zane and Madge couldn't believe what they were seeing in front of their eyes. Both rackets came out of their hands and the ball went out field.

As the scene was flowing slow-motionedly, both Milo and Amanda fell on the ground, sat on it and faced each other.

"Ouch…" was their first exclaimation after the hard serve. Their rackets had shattered into pieces so they left some scratches on their hands. And they had hurted their backs slightly.

"Are you guys alright!" Zane and Lola ran to them. Zane commanded, "Um Lola, take our the bandages from Milo's backpack."

"Yes, sir Zane!" Lola obeyed. She quickly used them to treat Amanda's hand.

"Zane…" Amanda called him rather weakly. "My backpack has some too. Take them out and bandage Milo."

"Yes, I will do!" he followed and treated Milo.

The win had belonged to Lola and Zane, but neither of them did care about the result.

"We should help them walk to their camp," Zane suggested which Lola agreed on.

Meanwhile, another guard of Mr. Block looked over and judged. "That couple isn't something like it as well. I'll take notes…"

* * *

Continued with the date of Melissa and Zack, covered as Milo and Amanda's hangout.

After hearing Melissa's beg, Zack had no choice but to accept himself in Milo's sweater vest and his shorts. _"Has he always been wearing shorts like this? It's so uncomfortable."_

" _Forgive me, Zack. I have no choice…"_ Melissa thought. " _Amanda's incredibly long jeans really gets on my nerve. And it's tight…"_

"Hey, Zack… Shall we start?" Melissa asked.

"Of course, if that sastifies you…" Zack said, still reluctantly a bit.

He knew Melissa wanted him to do it naturally but it was hard for him. They were pretending, he knew that, but it felt more like their first date than a substitution.

"Here goes nothing," Zack smiled as he slowly put the ice cream cone nearer to her face. He had the hold of it while she was licking those sweet drop of vanilla on the top.

"Thanks, Zack…" she exclaimed and continued to dig in.

Actually, it didn't seem so bad. Melissa digging in the cream looked cute to him. It was embarrassed if being looked at but overall, he liked the moment to stay.

" _She seems cute while doing it…"_ Zack thought. _"Her breath, her lick, lovely… I mean, stop thinking it deeper!"_

" _Huh, he seems to be getting the hang of it,"_ Melissa spotted his leasure at last. _"I know that we're here to be Milo and Amanda, to be romantically like them._

 _But… What if we're having a romantic relationship?! Wouldn't that be an advantage, as it's gonna help us to be located at?"_

She then thought of their relationship considerably, _"That's weird… Until now that I know we have been Milo's friends… We have both helped him, and helped each other. We have been best friends ever since. We always try to fix each other's cons… We have teased each other…"_

Having been looking down and thinking, she gleamed at him again, _"Would he feel the same way as I did? I mean, he gave me that blue flower right?_

 _...That settles. By trying to be more romantic as a fake couple, I will test it out and check our relationship. I have decided."_

"Zack," she whispered.

"What is it?"

"Come here. Put your face in front of the cream."

"Oh, like this…" he finished moving his face to her desired position. "Now what should I do next?"

"Lick it," she said while also having the lick as well.

He was the most surprised for the whole day, "Wait, seriously? While you're doing it?"

"Just do what I say," she instructed him calmly. It was like she never wanted to know the possibility after that happened.

"O-okay… If you say so…"

Having to follow her order, Zack had no choice but to get his lips nearer and nearer, until he could feel the cold drop of the cream pressing on his tougue.

He slowly digged it from the outside. Mostly to avoid her lips. But he didn't know what exactly he had to do in the situation like that.

" _What should I do? What should I do?"_ his mind panicked. _"I don't want to touch her lips at all, but she said she wanted me to do it naturally. Should I… get in deeper?_

 _Sorry Melissa… but it's for Milo and Amanda…"_

The last part of the song "What Might Have Been" played in the background without them noticing, but slowly acoustic.

Knowing Zack made his move and touched her lips, she started to dig into his tongue. She moved hers slowly and held his mouth steady by putting both of her hands on his check.

" _Yes, It comes to this…"_ Melissa thought, eyes were closing. _"It's time you knew how you feel about him. It's for Milo and Amanda…"_

" _OMG! She's kissing me?!"_ Zack thought. He understood how that was needed in order to grab that gang's attention. _"I understand that you want to help Milo and Amanda…_

 _I can't fail it!"_

They dropped the ice cream cone. It was brilliantly sucked out all of the cream, and the only thing the couple could think of was the sensational kiss they both gave.

" _We could have been together  
_

 _All you had to say was when"_

Their tongues moved carefully but their body kept ramming on the bench. Melissa topped him while Zack was having the bench to lie on. It looked even creepier when they were disguised as Amanda and Milo.

They never knew the kiss they gave could give them so much pleasure. Wish time could stop so this could stay forever for them, somehow.

" _And though I wanted so much more_

 _I guess you'll always be my friend…"_

Their lunges started to betray them. They opened their eyes and released each other after realizing what positions they had taken in. The ten-second experience surely left a few internal effects on them.

"Sorry… I think I was digging too far there…" Zack apologized to her.

"No, I should apologize as well. But hey, that was fun right?" Melissa cheered him up.

"I feel it's really embarrassed, ya know," Zack stated.

"I feel like that, too," she nodded. "But it feels… special."

Zack smiled. Was it a test that Melissa gave him? Nevertheless, she had fun while doing it, and that sastified him as a friend of her.

"Me too…"

"HOLD STILL!"

Both of them heard the scream and the noise of the footsteps around them. They were surrounded by seven people in black uniform, all covering their faces.

Melissa hid behind Zack a bit, "Scary…"

"It's okay, Melissa. Stay calm," Zack tried to comfort her.

They then heard a loud laugh. The laugh started to get louder when they saw a face of none other than the most evil person in Danville at this point, Mr. Block.

"Well well well, those were hot stuffs, I see…" the old man exclaimed.

"That was rude," Zack defended his 'girl friend.'

"Sorry for my rudeness but," he started to act kindly like some old dummy old men. "Are you children by any chance Milo and Amanda?"

"Yes, we are," Melissa stated. "What do you want from us? Tell!"

"Now now… don't be in such a hurry…" Block tried to be polite but he was born to be a person that was hard to be polite with. "I think we can have a chat at my camp? What do ya say?"

Zack and Melissa exchanged a look to each other before nodding, "Agree!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the announcer of the soccer event informed that Zack and Melissa ended up on the third place and were no longer qualified for the final of the group. The final match decided one winner of the two teams, and one of them was…

"You ready, Ferb?" Phineas questioned and Ferb thumbed up.

"Alright, here goes nothing!"

* * *

During a fancy night in Danville, Zane and Lola were in honour to walk Milo and Amanda back to their camp after the long event. The jinx and the perfectionist had been recovered but the other couple couldn't help but worry for their best friends.

"What an exhausted day! And we're glad that you guys are fine," Lola stated.

"Yeah, thanks to your care and Madge is being a true negotiator, we can say that our second place put on your big help," Milo explained.

"You're welcome," Zane took his compliment before asking Amanda. "Hey Amanda, you're really a great player. We should play next time."

"Next time, I'll beat you!" Amanda heated up.

Milo and Lola had a refresh laugh at their friendly rivalry.

* * *

The tent was neater than they thought. Not something that a bunch of villains will normally pull off. Things were stacked perfectly organized and the comfort while waiting for that man to take out some coffee.

They were expecting some sort of interrogation and punishment. None of them was available according to the background they were in.

"This visit seems nicer than I thought," Melissa said.

"Yeah. I think it's his trick to make us off-guard," Zack explained.

"Coffee is done, youths," Brick put their cups of coffee on the table.

"Wait, you're the one who was chasing us down to the sewer right?" Melissa pouted.

"Well, hehe," he chuckled. "The past is the past now, am I right? Relax. This is your new home now."

"What now?" Zack raised an eyebrow.

Brick realised he had said something even more awkward, "I mean… you will feel this like your new home."

"You shouldn't be rude to your guest, Brick-san," Block happily sat in front of the couple. "Welcome to our camp. Isn't it the best?"

"We could say so," Melissa smiled friendly to him. "It's nice of you to welcome us here. Say, would you mind telling us the reason?"

"Yeah, straight it out, man," Zack challenged him.

"Oh, so you two want me to set this straight," Mr. Block had another laugh before sipping another sip of coffee. "Alright, as you wish."

He started the _real_ discussion. The mood started to get more serious, "Then let me ask you this, the Murphy boy."

"Yes?" Zack who acted as Milo listened to him. _"Oh my, does he actually believe that I am Milo? I could giggle in my mind right now."_

There was a gap happening to Mr. Block, _"Oh boy, is this the Murphy boy we're talking about? He doesn't look like one…_

 _My my, how come did I forget the faces of the couple of teenagers I'm looking for…"_

* * *

 _ **The morning before the Camping Competition started.**_

 _Block's gang had packed everything and started for a trip to the time around 2015. He was having a few minutes left in his office, looking at his locator which contained the pictures of the teenagers he wanted to look for: Milo Murphy and Amanda Lopez._

" _Okay, they're simple to recognize," Block said when his stomach started to crumble. "Toilet!" he hugged his stomach while desperately exiting his office. "Where is it when I need it?"_

 _Unbeknownst to him, after he left, a small portal suddenly appeared near the locator he left on the table. It succeeded in taking the locator into the black-and-white world._

 _Block didn't know that was the reason he forgot the images of real Milo and Amanda._

* * *

 **Back to the present.**

" _It has to be them,"_ Block thought. _"Only them would pull off the deep bond like that. Use your chance, Block. Use it!"_

The man chuckled, going through another sip of coffee, "So… do you two by any chance know Cavendish and Dakota? They… seem to talk a lot about you."

"They told you that?" Melissa asked.

"Well, not directly," Block explained. "Sometimes when I wander to their office, I always hear them talk something like, 'Oh, I wonder what Milo would like to have for snacks,'" he acted as Dakota then Cavendish. "And that Cooperdink is gonna be like 'Ridiculous! You shouldn't let the Murphy boy eat something like those."

Melissa nodded with an impressive attitude. _"For a guy who hates Cavendish and Dakota with all his might, this guy sure knows a lot about them."_

Zack swang the hand he was holding with Melissa.

He smiled. So far, things had been serene and the guy named Mr. Block had shared something thoughtful and considerable.

Zack thought, _"I'm glad for you Milo. For a person who has everyone look upon as a disaster magnet, you sure have a few people who really look after you."_

"So Murphy kid, I want to know what makes them care so much about you. Tell!" the guy yelled.

"Okay, easy there…" Zack chuckled. He reminded himself that even he hadn't been in all of Milo's adventures with Cavendish and Dakota, he was in 'an interview' on behalf of his best friend.

" _Okay Zack, say something meaningful and you'll be fine…"_

"Well, I just thought that they are careful and supportive of others. That also includes me. Somehow I have joined all of their adventures and made them believe that I'm the resourceful one, I guess…" Zack confessed as Milo.

"Hmm, careful and supportive, we don't see them like that," Block stated. "I just see them as some sort of stupid, incompetent, and unworthy time travellers?"

"Huh?" Zack and Melissa tilted their head in confusion.

"Take this for example:" Block said. "You must know quite well that they have violated several rules in time travel. And according to the rules of Time Bureau, one violation and you're gone for good. Cavendish and Dakota may have violated a few of them, and some are even out of my knowledge. But I check out the source of their activities during their violation and have found out one thing: that most of their time jumps after violation start from… here – Danville, around 2015."

Zack nodded, and he had to face Mr. Block who was glaring at his space, "You are the only one to know them, Murphy boy… Tell me! What comes from you that could make Cavendish and Dakota go outside the line between the future and your present, huh?!"

Melissa stared at him, _"He does care about Cavendish and Dakota. Is he, really?"_

"Well…" Zack finally said it. "It's Murphy's Law."

"Murphy's Law?!" Mr. Block raised an eyebrow.

"What's that?! Murphy's Law in Physics?" Brick made a foolish question.

"I heard of it somewhere but I couldn't recall it again," Savannah stated.

"You're not gonna believe it!" Melissa wrapped her arm around Zack and explained. "Murphy's Law is strong. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Things are go wrong so constantly that Cavendish and Dakota have to give us a helping hand. Aren't they great people?"

"You're doing good at it," the girl winked at him and whispered.

"Always for our best friends," Zack smiled.

The room turned silent for a while. No response was made until Mr. Block went out of the plan in the meantime. "Well, that was funny, wasn't it? I think we should say goodbye here."

"Really?!" Melissa and Zack exclaimed while being pushed outside. Until then, they saw a few temporal weapons be left at the corners behind the entrance.

"We'll find you if you don't come to find us," the guy threatened in a monotous tone. "And please, we do want to know more about you so enjoy yourself!"

Block then closed the shed and exhaustedly sat down on the ground after a weird conversation, "What are they even saying? Dakota and Cavendish are nice? Murphy's Law?"

"It sounds like we're gonna have to do the real thing," Savannah told him.

Meanwhile, the couple was still standing out there and hearing their whisper and noise, "Man, they don't know we're still here."

"I heard enough. Let's go!" Melissa rushed headlong to their camp along with Zack again.

"Wait, wait, Melissa! Stop running, let's talk!" Zack ordered and the girl followed. "I don't think we should be disgusing ourselves anymore. If we just tell them what we know…"

Melissa heard him, but she got another plan in her head, "That's true… From the interview but…"

"But what? Don't tell me we have to put on…" he feared.

"No, no, we're not gonna do this anymore," the oranged-haired girl agreed. "Her jeans is too tight for me. On the other hand… I want to give them a test."

"What kind of test?" Zack asked.

Melissa put a fist on her right chest, showing the true spirit, "We'll let them find Milo and Amanda."

She turned to Zack with a wink, "And I have just a perfect plan for that."

* * *

The mood at the camp wasn't as peaceful as it used to be anymore. We know Richard is a fireman who always puts out even the most wildest fire. But that day, it seemed like he was the one to cause the heat burning in himself. To make it easier to explain, he was _not_ in a good mood.

"Third place with effort is a remarkable achievement, I could say…" he groaned in the most scariest tone the teenagers had ever heard. "But… why the heck did you two give up? I demand an explanation."

"We're sorry, Mr. Chase," Zack brought himself to his knees and apologized. "A few things happened and…"

"What he said, dad! It's an urgent situation," Melissa dropped a few tears.

"Overall, I couldn't blame you all. You have done a great job today so I think we can overcome the nitpicks," the fireman sighed.

"Yeah, don't be sad, Zack, Melissa," Amanda smiled.

"Me and Amanda had carelessly stepped on each other, so second place was what we got," Milo comforted, chuckled. "Look, nobody is perfect. If there's a small reason of your setback then let it be…"

"It's really a serious matter, Milo!" Zack stated.

"Milo, Amanda…" Melissa whispered. They all knew it wasn't some nitpicks anymore. Judging by Melissa's expression, they knew it was an important matter.

"Y-you…" she stammered before telling her plan.

"Can you guys pretend to break up?"


	16. We're Friends Again (Part 2)

Dakota and Gretchen were invited for a tea party with a strange, old, feminine figure. She is normally colorful just like them so the two guessed she could have been stuck just like them.

Things weren't peaceful for either Dakota or Gretchen. They had missed a chance to get out of this black-and-white world. It was cold and timeless.

Gretchen teared up while sitting down on the ground and rest her head on her knees, "I want to go home…"

"Hey, don't cry, okay. But I couldn't help…" Dakota was touched. Gretchen was cold and dull from the outside, but she did have a soft part. Dakota was the only one to know that apparently.

"Oh my, young girl, don't cry," the old woman smiled. Not that she laughed at her pain; she wanted Gretchen to have that smile of her too. "Here, we'll sort things out nicely okay?"

"So uh…" Dakota interrupted. "Not to be rude but… do you know how to get out by any chance? You must have been stuck here for a while and know… its mechanics."

"Well, young man, I suppose I would love to find out a way but… can you let her rest for a while," the old woman pointed at Gretchen. She had already slept. Her tears were sparkled, dropped and shattered beautifully like a drop of glass.

"It must have been super tired for her," Dakota stated. "But trust me, there is another serious situation out there and if we don't do something…"

The disco man grabbed his pants' fabric, shivering. "the future will be ruined."

"Is that so…" the woman said.

"You can be a friend to some of the teenagers like me…" he continued. "You'll hear them laugh, cry, play together, snuggle, giggle, hug each other… And suddenly, they are in danger. And I can't do anything!"

"I know, I know all of that," the old man said, much to Dakota's surprise. "The period of time you stay at a time in the past that you're unfamiliar with turns out that it lets you have many teenagers' friend and what you want is… you're gonna get out of here while carrying this sleepy girl, am I right?"

"Thank you! Thanks for your understanding!" Dakota said and bowed in front of her. He looked down and from the old woman's view, that man was tearing up as well.

"There there, get up," the old woman and Dakota then stood up. "Let's get to work!"

Dakota was surprised to her unusual determination but he was glad, "Alright!"

The woman left her spot with Dakota following behind. He looked back to Gretchen who was sleeping innocently.

" _Just wait, Gretchen. I'll get both of us out of here. I promise."_

Meanwhile, the glasses woman was having some dreams of her own.

* * *

More like… Gretchen's past presenting by some of her flashbacks.

" _Dakota… you'll get both of us… out of here…" she thought._

 _A flashback occurred._

 _(*) "It's all my fault!" Gretchen cried. "I shouldn't have asked you to do this alone. It was my fault that we're trapped here… I'm-"_

" _Say no more, Gretchen!" Dakota yelled at her. "It wasn't anyone's fault! If we hadn't done anything, we all would have got into a lot more trouble. So do not blame yourself anymore!"_

" _But, but I-"_

" _There there…" Dakota gave Gretchen a comfort hug. "Everything's gonna be okay."_

 _It wasn't the first time Gretchen received a comfort hug from Dakota._

 _The first time… well, before that, the most recent one was surreal._

 _(**) "I'm sorry…" he whispered. Dakota just meant what he meant. He couldn't do it in Gretchen's way because he would use all of his chances he had got._

 _He pulled Gretchen to him. It seemingly looked like a hug, but his intention was to pull her to safety while he was pulling out an extremly powerful air shooter. He stood up, held Gretchen on his shoulder and shot a large invisible barrel of air. The shot had dug a hole on the car's bottom which was facing the building._

 _The hole he made changed the vehicle's direction. It went far off the building they had choosen to be fallen out. Just as he wanted, the black van came nearer to the portal._

 _Gretchen was blushing. Not only by Dakota's hug, but also by the sudden strong breeze in her hair._

 _Her fear had gotten from bad to worse._

" _Real flashbacks, aren't they?" Gretchen narrated her own dream. "Dakota… he's…"_

 _The woman stammered and touched every time she secretly reminded herself about how much she owed him._

" _Well, he's almost useless to every parts of the world. But fate never wants to cease his life after all," she said in her thoughts. "How can you care so much to people, Dakota?_

 _I can but… I can't…" her voice cracked._

" _I'm a pain to everyone. I always be. I screw up everything. I believe to something that doesn't exist: objects have life too, you know," she said. "Back to when I was four years old…"_

 _4-year-old Gretchen was playing at a playground of a kindergarten. And it was more like her orphange, she had been an orphan at a very young age. Anyway, she was playing with her toys that she collected. There were a green doll, a soccer ball and an aeroplane._

" _The plane…" she giggled. "The bear comes out from it and attends to a soccer match. She scores! Woohoo! And that marks the winning title for her national team!"_

 _Unlike other kids, she didn't have any toys to play with since she had no parents give her the toys, and she had to secretly collect them from the others._

 _That used to cause her some troubles._

" _Hey, you there!" a voice of a boy who is older than her was heard, along with two others who are the same age of his._

" _Give us back the toys!"_

" _Ah, come on! Can't I just play with them a bit more?" Gretchen begged._

" _Play with them? How many times does the teacher remind you that you can't steal from us?" the boy lashed his anger at her._

" _That's it. I'm having enough of you," another one cracked his knuckles._

" _Looks like you're gonna need some beating from us."_

" _Don't! You guys are mean!" she cried._

" _Hey, stop there!"_

 _Another boy yelled. He was familiar to the group of boys. He was seven years old, as same as them but a bit older._

 _He was… Vinnie Dakota. His hair was clumsy and he had a much colder look than he is now._

" _What's going on?" he asked._

" _This girl… she's stealing our toys, Dakota," the boy told him._

" _Is she?" his stern look gave her the creeps. Gretchen couldn't look anymore._

" _I'm doomed for…" she thought._

" _Well, I'll handle this girl and give the toys back later. You guys leave it to me," Dakota told them._

" _Again, Dakota? Well, as much as we respect you…" the boy said before he left._

" _You can't just overprotect her like that, ya know. Well, we know you're trying," another boy hissed._

" _Yeah, she's gonna steal us from time to time. I'm sure of it," the last boy left._

 _Dakota and Gretchen were the only one to have the playground._

" _Look uh… Gretchen-"_

" _DON'T LOOK AT ME!" she yelled. "I know what you're trying to do. You're punishing me now, aren't you? You are going to do that soon right?!" she waved her hand repeatedly._

" _Silly Gretchen, how in the world can I do that?" Dakota smiled. She noted that back then, rarely did Dakota ever smile. It seemed like she could earn his trust and let him express his emotions._

 _He continued, "Come on! Let's give them back the toys and play in my room okay?"_

 _Gretchen was surprised. He was gonna let her play in his room? "You're- actually let me-?"_

" _Well, my room was a mess back there, so sorry if I couldn't let you have a visit," the boy chuckled. "But today… let's rock ourselves in my room okay?"_

 _She widened her eyes. A happy smile slowly appeared on her face. Gretchen delightfully accepted his offer, "Thanks, brother Dakota!"_

 _And that was the start of a friendship between two people having the same condition: being an orphan._

 _But it couldn't last for long as they went apart and attended to school. She wished she had never received any help from her painful relatives during her school work. And school, it started to get boring to her._

 _She had good marks, but she had no friend to cheer on._

 _She wanted to have some friends, but they made her do something she never wanted to._

 _She had her opinions, but those were immidiately shut down by all of her classmates._

 _She was a no-one to every class she had attended._

 _Friendship was something she could never believe to become true to her. That true one was ruined by fate._

 _No one wanted to do anything alongside her on those days. That didn't mean she wasn't open to everyone, but 'everyone' was cruel to her._

 _Even the whole classmates had to call her to throw her hat after most of the class had finished the graduation picture._

 _And she joined in later. No one even bothered to take a picture of her._

 _Gretchen was ready for it. She had been studied hard and had done quite fine but…_

 _No one caught a picture of her when she was her most beautiful self._

 _She just stood there and didn't even have any bit of energy to do what they did._

" _Click!" she heard a boy's noise._

 _Was that someone from her class? Of course not._

 _She looked up and immidiately, her picture was taken by none other than the only one who cares for her more than the world does._

" _D-Dakota?"_

" _Yo, smile, Gretchen!"_

 _She momentarily adjusted herself and made a nice posture in front of his camera, "Okay, you can take it now."_

 _Cut to the moment when Dakota gave Gretchen a nice treat of spaghetti._

" _Has been a long time huh?" Dakota opened the topic._

" _Where have you been?" Gretchen glared at him. "Answer me, Dakota!"_

" _Well… heheh," the man chuckled. "I have been to a place called Time Bureau. I was a janitor, ya know, wiping the floor, making them slipped and such…"_

 _Gretchen giggled after a darn long time, "Sounds funny. And looks like you're having fun of it."_

" _I do have fun, not by the people around me. They can be jerks sometimes though," he stated. "But I wish that one day, I could become a time traveller…"_

" _Is that so?!" Gretchen sparkled up, then getting back to her normal self. "I mean, cool. I have been looking forward to it too."_

" _So how's school for you?" Dakota questioned. "Boy, I'm glad to see that you have finally graduated. Where were your classmates though?"_

" _They left me…"_

 _Gretchen whispered, much to his surprise._

" _They did it before I did," she grinned awkwardly. "But it has its advantages right? You have graduated and taken a picture on your own."_

 _Dakota saw Gretchen's eyes were red because of tears. For many days._

" _Gretchen, tell me. What's wrong?"_

" _You don't understand!" she cried angrily. "You're a janitor, having a normal life. I'm a student, being treated badly by my relatives, being a no-one in class, having no one to cheer when I'm happy, having no one to comfort me when I'm sad. Where have you been?"_

 _She planted her face on the table and cried, wrapping her arms around her head. Dakota could understand why she put that question. Life must have been terrible for her. He agreed that he could never understand what Gretchen had to suffer._

" _Listen, Gretchen…" he calmly spoke to her. "School is bad, I know and that's why I never attend them. And… I never want to interfere to your life."_

" _Of course I wanted you to…" she faced him. "But you never showed up."_

" _So listen, it's okay if you decide to choose college but… recently there's an employment at Time Bureau. If you join there then I guess we'll be working together!" he told her._

 _That sparkled her eyes and her hopes._

 _College would be an opportunity for her, but would she be happy for it later? She would be treated like crap again._

 _Of course, she would never know but she had been miserable enough during her school life. She could have been tremendously dreadful if she had had to suffer once more._

" _Dakota, I'll join you!" she said._

" _Really? What about college?" he was surprised when she picked Time Bureau over college._

" _I know I will have a good chance in college but… I don't want to be miserable anymore!" she cried. "And you can't change my mind Dakota. My decision stands still."_

" _I know," Dakota nodded. "I won't stop you anymore. And hey, don't be sad! We will be working together! Won't it be great?"_

" _Mhm!" Gretchen happily agreed._

 _And so, Gretchen had been appointed as a secretary of the Time Bureau. It wasn't a fun place but overall, she sastified with it._

 _She thought that is how her life should be._

 _One day, she grew up and became an independent woman, who always has to look at the grumpy boss everyday up until now. But she would be fine. Because she knew her life would be better off with Dakota._

 _The one who strived to protect her._

 _And at least, she was happy for her life when she wandered to his room hearing him talking everyday._

* * *

What a dream! Gretchen slowly opened up her eyes and viewed the world around her.

Her body was shaking. She looked outside and saw something magnificent.

"Whoa, wait, where are we?!" Gretchen questioned. "Dakota, aren't we in the black and white world?"

"Nope," he grinned. "We're in a jungle after we have exited that world through the portal."

"You did it?" she dropped her jaws in amazement. "You tell me that we're actually escaping from that world?"

* * *

Meanwhile, the old woman looked at the empty space where Dakota had helped Gretchen back to their own world.

Staring at it for a while, she smiled, whispering, "Good luck, uncle Dakota, aunt Gretchen.

…I'm counting on you."

* * *

"But didn't the car only have two wheels left? What happened?" she tightened her seatbelt.

"That old woman and I have modified it. It's perfectly stable now, don't worry," Dakota reassured her.

Gretchen looked down. She smiled proudly, was proud of how Dakota had managed to solve problems, "Hey Dakota, why didn't you wake me up to help you guys?"

"You were sleeping back there. It is rude to wake someone up after they have been in a heck of a journey," Dakota replied.

"Really?" she blushed. Did Dakota really care for her like that?

She shouldn't be surprised anymore but… what did she do to deserve such a nice person like him?

Gretchen couldn't hide it anymore. She had been always treasured her and Dakota's friendship.

Gretchen would tell Dakota all about her thoughts in the past.

* * *

 **9:45 p.m. Camping Day 2**

Melissa, Zack and Amanda were having a sleep. All of them were taking a rest after a heck of a day. Zack and Melissa would have that day in their memory for life while Amanda… she had a nice tennis match with Milo and Murphy's Law.

Speaking of Milo, he hadn't slept yet. He looked up to the sky full of stars while drinking a bottle of water. He revised on what Melissa had said just two hours ago.

" _Well, that was a day for me and Amanda…"_ Milo thought. _"But what Melissa said…"_

* * *

 **Two hours ago.**

"Can you guys pretend to break up, Milo, Amanda?" Melissa begged.

"Huh…" Milo and Amanda exchanged weird looks. "You want us to break up…?"

"No way!" Amanda shouted, her face reddened. "What do you mean by that? You mean that we have been a couple?"

"It might be ture but please, Melissa…" Milo stated and he received a pinch at the arm by Amanda later.

"We're not joking, Milo," Zack said. "Melissa really cares for you guys so she and I uh… have had a heck of a day…"

"Milo, actually some people from the Time Bureau are looking for you and Amanda," Melissa speedily told him. "They want to ask you something relating to Cavendish and Dakota but I believe it can be worse. Me and Zack have checked over their actions by… disgusing as you guys."

She handed to Milo and Amanda their spare clothes.

"Oh my…!" Milo exclaimed.

"You guys dug into my backpack?" Amanda gasped.

"We know. We're sorry but it has to be. Now Milo, I know that as much as you want to go straight with them, I don't think they will do the same to you. They will look for you and Amanda tomorrow and I want to test them out if they truly understand you and Amanda's deep bond to recognize you."

"Uh-huh. We understand now," Melissa looked up, as she saw Milo and Amanda's gentle smile assuring her. "Man, it's complicated, isn't it? Am I right, Milo?"

"You're wrong!" Milo argued. "It's far more complicated when it comes to these. And Melissa, we'll do whatever you order," he put his hands on the ginger's shoulders. "We appreciate what you guys have done."

Amanda neared to Zack, elbowed and winked at him, "You got here there," she whispered.

"Ha ha, very funny," he blushed.

"Guys… thank you!" Melissa said. "Thank you for helping me… I mean… yourselves out."

"It's what friends do," Amanda held Melissa's hand. "For us and for ours."

* * *

Milo giggled, "Man, she was weird, wasn't she?"

He then whispered to himself again, "But if Melissa says that Mr. Block and his employees have come to find me and Amanda for something sinister then I trust her."

She looked at Amanda who was sleeping next to his left not too far away and thought, _"If I was the only target, I could give them a straight talk. But Amanda… Just no way. Just no way I would let them hurt her. I appreciate Melissa for this plan."_

"Aren't you sleeping, Milo?"

The voice of the fireman startled him. He took a seat next to the Murphy boy, "Uh… Mr. Chase? Haven't you slept? And… you spoil my bottle of water."

"Opps, sorry," he apologized.

The water, however, came out and spreaded to Amanda's pijamas.

" _Cold!" she shivered._

That moment made her awake and heard the talk between Richard and Milo.

"Murphy's Law huh?" Milo chuckled.

"No, it was my fault anyway," Richard stated. "By the way, about your breakup of Milo and Amanda… it's embarassed to ask this…"

"That's okay, Mr. Chase. I know that you're wondering about that sudden move as well," Milo comforted him.

Not only Amanda was awake to hear the talk, Melissa's sudden blink of an eye also made her snapped out of the sleep and heard the talk too.

"Well, I trust her," the Murphy boy said. "We have been friends for a long time and I know that she's telling the truth. Thanks a lot, Mr. Chase. We have been friends because of your help."

Richard looked at him amazingly. He never accepted him and his daughter to become friends but he was a nice boy after all, "Huh, she ran into you and I couldn't stop her, that's all."

"I understand," Milo nodded. "For me, she's a nice person and I am grateful to be her friend."

"I know, I know. Thank you, Milo. For having been with my daughter," Richard thanked him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe I have judged you wrongly."

"That's okay, that's okay," the boy understood him. "I'm a Murphy. It's not weird that-"

"You want to know why I overprotect her this whole time?"

"Huh?" the boy titled her head.

" _Dad!"_ Melissa called him out in her mind.

" _Huh… I want to know that too…"_ Amanda thought.

" _Bet it's something interesting,"_ Zack couldn't resist himself from eavesdropping as well.

"Her mother… died in a fire at a building," Richard told Milo. "She couldn't make it when the electricity suddenly went wrong. And Melissa was just too young to know it."

" _Mom…?"_ Melissa's eyes sparkled up. _"Dad, you are telling that to Milo, really?"_

"Oh no… I didn't know, I'm sorry for that, Mr. Chase," Milo felt sympathy for him.

"I only have my daughter left. She means the world to me. Well, if I lose her, I won't have anything left," the fireman explained. "That was my reason, Milo."

"I can see that, Mr. Chase," Milo nodded. "If it takes that I can no longer be Melissa's friend then I accept-"

"No, no, Milo…" he interrupted. "You don't have to do it anymore. I was wrong when I was so cautious about her choice of friends. I trust you, Milo. It's because of the trust you give to the whole team."

"R-really?" the boy exclaimed.

"Yeah, you never let them down. You have that kind of power, Milo. To inspire people around you," the fireman stated.

"Geez, it was nothing," Milo was flattered.

"In fact, if the breakup was real then I could suggest Melissa-"

"DAD!" the ginger yelled. She couldn't stand lying down and listening anymore. "What are you even saying now? You trying to ruin our friendship, Mom passing away and you're matching me and Milo? IT MAKES NO SENSE!"

"Whoa, hold up! When did you wake up, Melissa?" Milo startled.

"Wait, honey. It was a joke," the fireman chuckled awkwardly.

Meanwhile, Milo paid attention to her left and saw Amanda glaring at him, whispering, "Milo, can we spend a few minutes talking after this?"

"Amanda too?!" Milo excused. "Can you really blame me?"

"Wait, what's even going on?" Zack questioned in shock.

Overall, their night had become a mess after that one small talk between Milo and Richard, but problems had been solved afterwards.

* * *

 **Camping Day 3, in the morning**

Amanda and Milo were walking together on a pavement. They weren't happy as usual, however, when they had to pretend to be a couple that is broken.

The plan "The Jinx and the Perfectionist's Breaking Up" of Melissa had initiated.

* * *

" _Milo and Amanda, here's how your breakup works," Melissa instructed them during that evening. "After our meeting in tomorrow morning (that day will be our 'Free Day'), you guys will move down from this pavement to the fountain at the center of the park."_

" _Alright, we'll have a warming start, right?" Milo hoped._

" _That should be a piece of cake," Amanda stated confidently._

" _NOPE!" Melissa shouted. "It's not! It won't be a simple walk. Because you guys are breaking up, you have to stay away each other's gaze. To make it easier, try not to look each other and stay on your path. Don't come nearer from one to another."_

" _Uh-huh…" the two nodded._

" _Oh, and also, you have to show the grumpy expressions on your face as much as possible," the orange-haired girl said. "And when you reach the fountain, the argument begins! After the argument, you will be seperated with Milo going to the North West corner and Amanda going to the South East corner."_

" _That is serious acting…" Amanda whispered._

" _Do we have to do all of this?" Milo looked down. He wasn't exactly happy with this plan._

" _Trust me, Milo! Mr. Block and his gang can be looking for you guys anytime," Melissa stated. "If they have good intentions, they will know that you're breaking up and having solutions to it before giving you guys a talk. Otherwise uh… you know it."_

* * *

The plan had been going well. Milo and Amanda looked like they were truly mad at each other, but it wasn't natural. It felt like they were forced to.

" _It's… sufficating… It's harder than I thought!"_ Milo thought.

" _Melissa, Melissa! How are we able to walk properly if we can't look straight forward? And my face is hurt…"_ Amanda complained in her mind. _"But… it's for you, Melissa."_

" _I trust you, Melissa. We'll try to do what we have planned,"_ Milo tried to make an effort but their poses could take them five minutes to finally reach the fountain at the center of the park.

" _Melissa! This better be for good reasons…"_ she complained again. _"Well, since that birthday party, I have been addictively close to Milo."_

 _(***) "Milo! Tell me! How can you find this kind of pencil? It's the rarest kind in town! I love it!" Amanda commented on the gift Milo had given to her._

 _She did like his present, and he had to tell her the reason he bought it, "Well, I spotted you counting the number of classmates and you broke a pencil. Though you acted like you didn't have one, it was somehow obvious to me. So... here it is."_

 _In a flash, she grabbed Milo in for a hug – hands wrapped around his neck as the boy could feel the warm of her body and her hair, "Thank you, Milo! This is honestly the best birthday present I have ever recieved!"_

 _He pat Amanda's back, to calm her joyous cry and tears down, comforted, "It's okay, Amanda. I'm doing what I can do."_

"Milo…" she started a topic on the way. "I'm thinking of an argument… that you just gifted me a pencil at my birthday party. Well, a pencil, seriously?!"

Milo chuckled, "Yeah, you're right about that. I thought that I was silly back there."

"Nothing serious," Amanda excused. "I mean, it's for our argument that's all. It's part of Melissa's plan."

"I know," the boy nodded. "Back to when they were about to announce the movie presentation…"

 _As Amanda was checking the number of her classmates, she suddenly broke her pencil. At the same time, Milo was the next person to step in._

" _Hey, Amanda," he greeted her. "Did I break your pencil?"_

" _No, it's fine, Milo," she hid it behind her. "I can buy a new one, really. Nothing serious."_

 _Milo couldn't help but feel guilty for breaking her pencil. She could buy a new one was what she assured him, but… a sudden thought came to his mind._

"I remember seeing a pencil that is sturdy enough despite I have broken it indirectly, for twice!" Milo informed.

"Oh, so that's why…" Amanda giggled. "Thank you, Milo."

"Anyway, there's the water fountain," the boy pointed out.

" _Here it comes…"_ Amanda then started to do what she had been assigned to.

" _Okay, so here's when Amanda lashes out at me. Like she said…"_ Milo recalled.

* * *

" _I think that a perfect argument needs perfect timing," Melissa added. "So Amanda, if you have something that you can pick on Milo, you must take it firstly. Then Milo, you will shoot back at her own words. Okay?"_

 _Amanda grinned sarcastically, "So in short, you want us to fight that bad, don't you?"_

" _I'm sorry…" Melissa groaned. "Okay look, I'll treat something to you guys later, I promise. But Milo, your role decides the whole plan's success."_

" _My role? Yes, sir Melissa, what am I supposed to do?" Milo was ready to receive her order._

" _This is the fight between you and the friend you love," Melissa said. "As any broken couples will do, you have to try to defend yourself as long as you can and don't be touched. It's like you want to keep her on your side but you can't. And when she parts away, remember, let her be. Don't follow her."_

" _Oh…" Milo suddenly looked down to Amanda._

" _Don't worry. We're just acting, right?" Amanda cheered him up. "Though it's not gonna be easy."_

" _Yeah, that's what I fear of," Milo replied._

" _Hope you guys can do it just fine," Melissa hoped. "Please, it's for your own safe!"_

* * *

Amanda groaned before she angrily took out the argument, "Milo!

I regret having invited you to my birthday party. How could you give me just a pencil for my birthday? What have you become, Milo?"

Milo widened his eyes. True, she was acting but that hurted him slightly. The fact that she was so serious on denying his birthday gift.

"Amanda… I'm sorry…"

" _No, Milo! You're touched!"_ the perfectionist thought.

They turned silent for a few seconds.

Meanwhile, Melissa and Zack were watching them from a shading tree nearby.

"No, no, Milo. What are you doing?" Melissa whispered. "You're doing the opposite of our plan!"

"…But that's rude of you to deny my birthday party!" Milo had finally thrown out his own feelings aside. _"My poor heart…"_

The act had officially begun from here. He continued, "Do you know how long I have to pick a present for you? If that pencil didn't come to my mind that sudden…"

"Then what?" Amanda argued. "It's not like I can't buy that pencil for myself. Do you rate me that low, Milo? I hate you!"

Milo gasped slightly. That noted Amanda that she had gone a bit too far, _"Shoot! Did I go a little bit too far?"_

Zack gasped and Melisa covered her mouth in shock, _"Oh my… Amanda… what have I done? Have I pushed them… a little too far?"_

Milo looked down. It feared Amanda the most that he hadn't fought back yet. It could be meant that he had taken her words in the heart.

"Amanda…" he sighed.

"Milo…" the girl whispered.

"I… admitted it. I have rated you that low…" his voice suddenly raised up. "SO WHAT?! When you made me go all that way to find you, did you ever think of me?"

"Wh-what…" she exclaimed. Her eyeballs started to shiver as if she was about to tear herself up. _"Wait, Milo! I didn't mean to hurt you earlier…_

 _How can I say that when I can't control my feelings anymore?"_

Meanwhile, Milo had thought somewhat differently to her, _"Amanda… I didn't know that you could take this far…_

 _You try to control your feelings so you can push me further. I… just can't fail you."_

"That's right! You… you never thought of me!" Milo ranted at her. "What you did was just to guide me from place to place. I almost ate leaves. I had to dry my clothes for days! I almost fainted for sunbathing for too long, you know that?!"

Milo closed his eyes. He couldn't calm his tears anymore. The tears flew down silently as he thought he could have damaged her internal part, _"Wait, I think I have gone too far. Amanda! Hold up, Amanda! Let me wipe my tears off then I'll-"_

Amanda's nose hissed.

She almost cracked by every flow of tears she was having.

Milo opened his eyes, as he saw Amanda in front of him being hurted badly by his own words.

"Wait, Amanda…" he called her out weakly.

It took a few moments for her to wipe a few stream out of her face before replying him, "I know, Milo… Thank you. I know what you really want…"

"Wait, no! Don't you mean…" Milo couldn't help but later look at her running away from him to that corner of the park. "Amanda! Wait, Amanda-"

He was about to follow her when his mind was filled with Melissa's reminder, _And when she parts away, remember, let her be. Don't follow her._

 _Don't follow her..."_

Milo stood there in silence. It took him a few piece of handkerchiefs to handle the sadness the argument brought to them.

"Fine! I'll let you be!" he gave her a few words before parting away at the opposite corner to hers.

Meanwhile, many guards of Mr. Block had been paying attention to that argument, including Brick and Savannah.

"Wow, that was harsh, even for teenagers," Brick exclaimed.

"So it's not them we're looking for," Savannah noted.

At another spot, Zack was trying to stop the cry coming from Melissa. The plan was set by her but she might have pushed them a little too far.

"Melissa, don't cry. It's alright…" Zack patted her while both of them were down to their knees. "All we have to do is…"

"You bet!" Melissa exclaimed, wiping all of her tears she was having. "I am a sucker to push them that far. We have to bring them back."

"Melissa, wait!" Zack grabbed her hand in a sudden. Melissa blushed and immidiately released it from her hand. "What are you doing?"

"No, I just think… that you're not a sucker at all, Melissa."

Zack's words touched her. _"Wait, he said that I wasn't a jerk?"_

"It's kind of hard to explain, but what you have done is necessary. In fact, it shouldn't be necessary to blame you for all of that!" Zack explained. "I may be rude when I'm saying this but the point is they need time to be set apart from each other."

"Do you really think so?" Melissa was impressed. Her eyes widened that Zack actually believed what she had done was necessary.

"Well, we have to find them first. Get up!"

Zack pulled her standing up properly.

"Thanks, Zack. You go finding Amanda and I'll go finding Milo," Melissa commanded. "And be sure to look out for those guards again."

"Yes, Madam!" Zack obeyed. "But… it is cruel of you to set them _that_ far away. My feet are already tired because of what happened earlier."

"Stop joking around, Zack," they teased each other a little bit before setting off for their own missions.

Of course, it took two hours for them to finally gain nothing after lunch, we had known that probably.

There was something that they hadn't been aware of yet.

* * *

Amanda was sitting by herself below a tree at a corner of the park. Even after Zack's attempt to bring her back, she denied it harshly.

Well, we came back to right after she had received that pain from Milo, _"It's just a fake argument, Amanda. Why are you crying?_

 _Did he really hurt you that much? No, you triggered him to do it,"_ she sat down sadly.

Suddenly, some beeping sound was heard. The thing was near at her magenta jecket.

"Of course, the walkie-talkie," she exclaimed. Amanda brough a small walkie-talkie along and received the call. "Hey, Milo. It's me, Amanda. Can you hear me? Answer me," the girl gently said to him.

"Amanda? Yeah, I can hear you clearly!" Milo told her from the other side of the park. _"Man, she's talking to me politely even after I have poured hot water on her. I should apologize."_

He continued, stammered, "Yeah so… about that, I'm sorry that I was being a jerk."

"No, it's alright. You're not a jerk," Amanda comforted him even though she was sniffing constantly. "Nevermind me. I'm just sniffing. The act was so natural that I had to put such emotions like that."

"Yeah, I was tearing up too," he confessed. "I'm sorry still."

"No…" she whispered. "That sentence should belong to me. I shouldn't have insulted the gift that you have spent your heart buying it for me. How stupid I am, right?"

"Amanda… what are you even saying?" it was Milo's turn to comfort her. "You're not stupid. You're my best friend. It's alright if you're mad at me at some point. I'll try to be better."

"Me too, Milo… Me too… And… we're both stupid," she giggled and that made Milo follow her. "Still, that was some kind of acting, wasn't it?"

"Amanda, I uh…" Milo slowly confessed. "I love hearing your voice. We're facing some sort of problems so it's nice to hear your voice."

"Oh Milo," the perfectionist was flattered. "My voice is nothing."

"Well, your soothing voice can't be nothing," the jinx stated. "Your voice is cute, Amanda. It's really cute."

The girl gasped. She was surprised to his words. Amanda couldn't reply yet as she put her walkie-talkie to her chest, hugging it, _"He thinks my voice is cute."_

"Stop that, Milo. I'm gonna squeal in term of happiness, ya know," the girl was dazing in the land of her and Milo, as a happy couple.

"Wait, I can hear your voice but what's the other sound I'm hearing?" Milo questioned.

"My heart is pounding," Amanda stated. "Anything else?"

The boy blushed. He wondered if she was putting the talkie on her chest and secondly, he wondered if her heart was racing because of his compliment. "Nothing. And your eyes when tearing are cute, Amanda."

"Huh? Yours too, if I see," the girl stated. "What do you think about what I'm going to say, Milo?"

"Hmm…" he exclaimed. "Well, what are you going to say?"

"It's more like what I'm about to ask. When I 'accidentally' insulted the gift you gifted me, were you hurt?" Amanda questioned.

"Not even one bit…" he whispered. "Even if it _were_ an insult, I wouldn't hurt. What you said was kind of true. I should have gifted you something better."

"Nah, it's alright, Milo!" the perfectionist protested. "Geez, I shouldn't ask you that. But… I'm glad.

I was just thinking that you were really mad at me."

"Nuh-uh," he expressed his disagreement through the talkie. "I was thinking that you were really hurt. Were you mad when… I complained about that little trip you gave me? I didn't mean anything about it. I just followed the flow…"

Amanda sighed. Milo was at it again. He excused himself while he wasn't doing anything wrong, "Milo…" she would do something bold to get them back on track again. "I gave you that adventure because… it was reqiured. Someone told me… in my dream. It was a part of an important plan."

"I believe you, Amanda," Milo comforted her. "I have no complain about it at all. If it's important to you then it's important to me too."

"And Milo…" Amanda called his name out again.

"I… like you," she stated. "I mean it, meaning it with just those words. I really like you. It could have formed into… no, let that for later."

"That's nice of you, Amanda," Milo calmly confessed. "Before Melissa came to my world, I used to think that my life was worthless and painful because of Murphy's Law. Now I know that it's worth it. I mean, how silly I was back there."

"You were," she giggled. "You don't have to be pessimistic, Milo. You should know that there are people who still treats you as a friend. They will always help you when you need them. That includes… this gal!" Amanda winked from far away.

"I'm sure to be on the look for you guys," Milo winked back from his corner.

Just then, he heard Melissa's noise. It looked like she was coming to find him.

"Uh-oh, Amanda. Melissa is nearing. I should call off," Milo whispered.

"That's good, Milo, because Zack is coming as well," Amanda stated.

They both hid the walkie-talkie to a place that could be only reached by themselves.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mr. Block was having a routine around the park. Like what he had ordered to his workers, he also made himself work out by looking after that mysterious couple. He kept blaming himself for not remembering their images.

" _But that breaking up couple was weird. Were they seriously mad at each other at the central of the park – the most beautiful place of all?"_ Block thought. _"They were really mad at something. But nevertheless, what we have to do is to look for the ones yesterday."_

He stopped for a while. He had a headache for unknown reasons.

Somehow, it wasn't a painful, but he slowly recognized a mere image of the one he had forgotten.

* * *

 **Notes: (*) Chapter 13: Time Bond Theory  
(**) Chapter 14: Camping Day 1  
(***) Chapter 4: The Birthday Party (Part 2)**


	17. Time For the Kidnap

Gretchen glued her eyes on the view of forest outside the window she was sitting nearby. It had been a while since they first experienced something out of that black-and-white world.

Dakota looked optimistic while he was on the wheel. She thought, and it hit upon her that they might never get out of this wood. Not that she was impatient. Gretchen knew she could use the incredibly long interval to talk to him at least.

Especially, how she has been feeling about him over the past years.

"Dakota?" she said.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked.

"Can you stop the vehicle for a moment?"

* * *

"Oh, so they had a large wheel back there," Gretchen said while examining the half-remained vehicle of hers. "It was weirdly modified and I like it. Sadly, I can't take notes."

"Um… I'm sure I can give them to ya later," he chuckled.

She still looked at the wheel, admiring at how impressive the thing was placed. Had Dakota and that old woman done this for her while she was dozing off.

"I like it," she stated again, but with a smile.

A gentle smile.

Dakota dropped his jaw. It had been a long time since Gretchen smiled like that. Not a smirk or a playful curve on her lips. She just smiled, with all of her happiness. He wondered why, but as of the moment, he wanted to see it forever.

"Dakota…" she whispered, stood up and faced him. "It's incredible that you have done all of this for me."

Gretchen calmly expressed word by word. She… was actually happy. That's just what the world wants from her after all, "You know that I'm dull not because I was tortured by emotions of people around me, or how we were parted in different ways. Even when we work together, I just can't feel that happy. I guess, it's just how I am. Trying to be cold was in fact trying to hide my weakness.

I screw up… and I always be. But thank you for your he-"

"Gretchen!" Dakota yelled.

She looked up and had a clear view of Dakota's eyeballs. It was sparkling like it kept telling her not to give up on herself. "You're not useless. Everyone is not useless. They have their own missions in the world and they'll do everything to fulfill it. I know that you have one!"

He continued to motivate her, "I know that 4-year-old Gretchen. She was the most cheerful person I had ever met. What had the cruel society made her become?"

"Dakota…" the woman blushed but her eyes still looked down. "I'm not that incredible-"

"No, you're more than incredible. The Gretchen I know…" he said. "well, she belives life exists in every objects around her!"

"Huh?" the woman gasped. "But how do you know?"

"Gretchen, you're still believing that right? Or do I have wrong feelings about you?" Dakota stated. "Well, I know Gretchen and I know she will keep something delightful in her, even if it's just a bit."

"Wait, Dakota…" she prevented him from going any further. "I appreciate your comments. I'm happy… after a long time.

Finally, someone truly understands me…"

Dakota nodded, "Keep it going, Gretchen. Just believe in yourself and-"

"I like you."

Gretchen closed her eyes and faced the ground, in the hope that her feelings would at least be appreciated by Dakota, "I like you, and really liked you when I was 4."

"Y-you do?' Dakota widened his eyes.

"I'm amazed with what you said back to when you let me play in your room for the first time," Gretchen called out a flashback.

 _Dakota had been watching over Gretchen for an hour. The teacher sastified with his help and seemingly wanted to depend on him for another while._

 _Gretchen bounced up and down on his bed while commenting, "Your room is really nice, Dakota."_

" _I know, right? I couldn't believe in my eyes back there either," Dakota said while paying attention to a book. "Anyway, you can have the toys if you want. Keep it a secret though."_

 _The girl stopped bouncing. She was glad to know Dakota lent her some toys he had, but was it rude of her to take away his toys?_

" _No… thank you," Gretchen faced away, feeling guilty. "I can play by my own."_

" _Nah, it's fine," Dakota chuckled. "Just take as much as you want. By the way, look at what I'm reading, Gretchen."_

 _He directed her to look at the image on a page of the book he was holding, "Look! This guy is an astrologist. Long time ago, he discovered a comet while observing with his telescope. He named it after himself and called it Comet Kermillian."_

" _Wow!" she pointed out. "His reward is huge! Can't believe the 83 and a half year comet really worth the price."_

" _I must admit, yes. But he used half of the reward for donation, and the other half for his research," Dakota changed his tune. "He didn't use the reward for himself."_

 _The 7-year-old boy continued, "That being said, Gretchen, I really like how he dedicates his life for that discovery. I would say it was worthless, but you can't understand a person in your own way."_

" _Dakota," she called him out. "Do you think we can do something amazing like that?"_

 _The boy chukled and pet her head, "Of course we can believe it! If we don't find a role, what's… the purpose of living."_

"What you said back there is perfectly right. I didn't know what I was doing here in this world," Gretchen told him. "I was so desperate that I could kill myself anytime. But I couldn't, and you know why? You."

"Me?" Dakota smirked. "Look, it was you all the time. You have more courage, and that's what you should be proud of."

"If you hadn't been there to show me that 3-page book, I couldn't locate myself in this world right now," Gretchen stated. "There. I like you because of that."

"Wow… thank you, Gretchen," the guy blushed.

"Okay look, I just like you as a friend, okay? It's no big deal."

"I know that," Dakota sighed in relief. "I mean I already have a thing with Cavendish but you know what, I'm glad that I can make you feel better."

Gretchen smiled again. It was the same gentle smile but more confidently. She was ready to beat up some bad guys and make the timeline stable again, "We'll do something amazing right?"

Dakota agreed. She had finally understood where she needed to go and he couldn't be more proud of her, "Save Milo and Amanda."

* * *

A few moments later, it was seen that the vehicle was moving in its full speed. This time, Gretchen had the wheel while Dakota was helping her coordinate.

"Any sign of time fabric, Dakota?" she questioned.

"10 seconds left! Stay in the directon! Stay!" he added.

"You can count on me!"

Later, a portal opened and the vehicle ran inside it instantaneously.

After exiting, Gretchen immidiately stopped her car.

They met themselves in a busy street with people and except there was some sign saying that they were in California, they believed that chances of them having been back to Danville were incredibly high.

"Look Gretchen!" Dakota read the sign. "The practice field nearby Danville borderline."

"It's where Milo and his friends usally come by. We've made it! Woohoo!" Gretchen cheered along with the guy. They high-fived before they planned for the next step.

"Okay, so we're back to the real world. Anything that relates to us has been restored in everyone's mind as well," Gretchen informed. "Anything you think that you have to look after seriously."

"Hmm…" Dakota took a moment to think before he realized an important figure he specially had to look after. "Oh no… CAVENDISH!"

He quickly exited Gretchen's vehicle without a word to her, "Oh okay! You look for him while I'm looking for the kids!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Milo and Amanda had planned to follow Melissa's plan for a whole day instead of just for a morning as originally planned. Luckily, both of them brough lunch in their backpack and filled themselves well enough.

Just like everyone after lunch, Milo started to doze off for a while. His hands was resting on his knees and he lied his head on the hands. The walkie-talike was incredibly close to his ears.

Lunch passed by and he feel asleep, but that was not the only reason.

Of course, the other reason was beautiful and sweet.

It was Amanda who felt like singing a song. Although she just heard it recently, she loved it immidiately and somehow wanted to sing it to Milo.

More like she was just humming the beat to Milo.

Many hours had passed after they were talking about themselves for a little while. Not only the painful argument had been settled down, but also they had been ingeniously using up the time they were planned to be set apart.

Milo started to sleep an hour ago. The girl could hear and recognize it by his snore and breath. She contemplated and thought that it was probably due to their incidental sleepovers they had before.

Suddenly, she received a call. Amanda then walked away from the talkie and put on her phone. It was her dad calling her, "Hey papa, what's up?!"

"Amanda, qué? Of course, what am I even talking about?" the man chuckled.

"Dang it, dad. Just talk normally," Amanda rolled her eyes and giggled.

"Alright, alright. Um… I do have something…"

"I know you, dad. When you're stammering, it's time you made a special announcement," the girl interrupted.

"NOOOOO!" Bruno screamed, which made Amanda laugh even harder. "Are you psychic? Maybe you should follow psychology in the future. But I try so hard to put it properly," the man moaned.

"It's alright, dad. I won't tease you anymore," she stated but her giggle could still be heard.

"Dad? It sounds weird when you say that word," Bruno commented. "Anyway, do you know anything about the 7-day trip to Arizona?"

"Uh, yes, I heard about it just then," Amanda replied. "It's available for 12 people or two families going together. Besides the t-trip to the Northwest, it says that the tweens (like me) can experience studying at that new high school."

"Yeah, and it can be given away to the one who buys the right pack of that kind of cereal-"

Amanda sighed, "Dad! There's no way we can win it. Oh wait…

…you call me just to tell me this or…?"

"WE'VE WON!" the man yelled. "Yes, we've won the special prize, Amanda! The twelve-people trip is in my hand now!"

The girl's eyes sparkled. "Really dad? You're not telling one of those dad jokes?"

"Sí! I'm not that much of a big fat liar, ya know," the man stated proudly. "Our family is going to have a nice trip together, okay?"

"I agree! You're awesome, dad!" she squeaked delightfully after hearing the good news.

Her family just won a trip from out of nowhere. How couldn't she be happy? But she recalled him saying something about the amount of people going on the trip, "But the number of people going is twelve and our family only has three members. Don't you think it we should invite someone we know as well."

"And _that's_ another reason why I'm calling you," Bruno stated. "I don't know who to invite."

"Dad," the girl suddenly paid attention to the backpack behind her, lying next to the walkie-talkie.

Maybe, just maybe, it would be a great idea from her.

She looked at them adorably. _"I wonder if Milo's family can join for this trip. Then…_

… _it will be just me and him again._

 _Wait! Won't it be a little surreal? Should I?"_

"What is it, hon? Uh… that's what they call their daughters in America right? Right?!" the man kept speaking on the phone. "Amanda? Where are you? Can you hear me or not?"

The man smiled. Somehow he had known what his daughter wanted.

"Alright, I'll call the Murphy family right away. We will have a trip with Milo and his family," the man said.

"DAD?! How do you know what I was thinking?" Amanda yelled.

"I'm your father, duh. And your emotions are easy to be predicted."

"Same goes to you, dad," the girl shot back.

That was how the small talk happened, and the reason why Amanda was so delighted that she was humming and waiting for the right chance to announce the big news to Milo.

It's nothing new that she and Milo have been hung out for a few times. But this time would be special. They would part away from their normal friends. Her family would be hanging out with her and more importantly, they would be real alone together. Not that she complained about it.

The hum she made had brought Milo to the deep sleep. And once he woke up, Amanda would have something to tell him.

Her urge inside wanted her to put her foot outside the corner and leave but two thoughts came into her mind:

1\. During this day, Mr. Block and his gang could still be looking for them. If she was caught and it was found out that the argument was fake, the plan would be ruined and who knows what's worse.

2\. Her feet were tired in a weird way. So were Milo's. They had revealed that to each other and put out a sneaky plan during the morning talk.

 _After making both Zack and Melissa convinced that they had not been ready to be back together yet (or you could say that they were acting it real longer than the original time), Milo and Amanda's communication line was on again._

" _Is Melissa… gone?" Amanda questioned._

" _Yeah…" the boy sighed. "And I think the same goes to Zack right?"_

" _Hm," she exclaimed. "We can't let Melissa have full control on us. It's time for us to play along."_

" _You're so cruel, Amanda," Milo whispered awkwardly._

" _Besides, I think I twisted my ankle. It would probably take this afternoon to recover," Amanda stated._

" _Then you stay there, then. I think I'll come-"_

" _Don't!" she prevented him. "If you do that, Mr. Block can find us out. Don't do that!"_

" _Alright, alright…" Milo sat down and sighed. "Geez, what kind of mess they put us into?..."_

 _He continued the talk by revealing the view at a corner of the park where he was sitting, "Oh wow, they sell more packs of cereal recently."_

" _At your corner? Mine has those sellers too," Amanda stated. "What's so interesting about it now?"_

" _I know! Some kind of cereal company has initiated a giveaway event. If you buy a special pack of cereal, you will win a trip one-week trip to Arizona!" Milo informed._

" _Is that so…"_

" _Yeah! They sent me a flyer across the fence," the boy said. "And I just saw your dad."_

" _My dad? Huh," she smirked. "Well, he's a fan of those cereal. I'm not surprised anymore."_

" _Oh uh… anyway," he stammered. "You should get some rest, Amanda. I-"_

 _He hadn't finished his sentence when he fell asleep right away, "Sorry Amanda. Can I sleep for a moment?"_

" _Uh… sure. I don't mind," Amanda put her walkie-talkie on the grass._

 _The noise from the sudden crowd who wanted to buy cereal got more and more quiet, until Milo's snore was the only noise to be heard._

 _Usually a person's snore is annoying, but Milo's is annoyingly cute._

Amanda's eyelids then finally dropped slowly. She put her backpack below her head and the walkie-talkie on another side of her ear.

She planned to be awake and reveal the news to Milo after he woke up. As time flew, however, Amanda and Milo shared the same sleep from far away, with the communicators being their connection line.

Have a nice nap, folks!

* * *

At the own camp of Milo's team, Melissa, Zack and Richard were eating three bowls of spaghetti. The mood was fine except for Melissa who was still pouting and feeling regretful for having pulling out such a plan.

"Burden…" Melissa muttered. "The biggest burden in my life… Don't you think, Zack."

"Ehehe," Zack chuckled. "How can I put this, uh…?"

"You get what you get," Richard teasingly said to his daughter and smirked. "But don't worry. I'm sure that Milo and Amanda's relationship can't easily be broken. You just have to give them time."

"I know, but…" she revealed. "I want to get them back together soon and treat them in the plan but I can't…

Are they mad at me or something? I don't get it."

"That's not necessarily true," Zack comforted her. "Maybe they have planned something that we don't know. I mean, each of them can't just take a corner to seat and wait. They can call each other with phones… That's my theory."

"Sure, it could be like that," Melissa said while having noodles in her mouth.

Zack smiled and did the same with his noodles as well, _"She looks funny when pouting."_

* * *

Dakota ran all the way from the practice field straight back to the dingy strip mall, To him, a few hours had passed. He didn't know how many days it took in the real world. He wondered if Cavendish would be fine without remembering him.

"Cavendish!" he opened the door of his room. Spookily, it didn't have its light on. Many possibilities came into Dakota's mind. The British guy could probably go out for a while.

But much to his terror, the lights didn't turn on no matter how many times he switched on and off. It made no sense to turn off the fuse just for going to the market.

He used the flashlight to find the fuse and was about to switch it on when he heard someone's noise.

"Dakota…" it whispered.

The man startled as he directed the flashlight to his back, only to find nothing.

"Dakota…" it whispered again.

"Who's there?" he turned back and saw no one again. "Cavendish, where are you?"

"Dakota! Why are you leaving…?" the voice started to get more scarier.

Of all times, the flashlight died out in this very scary moment.

"Why does this stupid flashlight die in this moment?" he complained and accepted the fact that he was surrounded by empty darkness, not knowing what was waiting for him.

"Dakota…" it called out his name again. "Why are you leaving…?"

"Cavendish?!" he stammered. "Quit it, man. It's not funny."

"Answer me… Why are you leaving-?"

Suddenly, the light turned on and a Cavendish with his Halloween-masked face revealed. Dakota startled and fainted on the ground.

"What the-?" Cavendish didn't plan for this sudden move. "Who turns on the light?"

"Me," Gretchen spoke while holding another flashlight and a screwdriver in her hand. "Dakota, I thought I could hand you this thing… in my pocket so I come over but… you must have been in a terror?"

"Wait, Cavendish, Gretchen?!" Dakota got up and had not known fully what had happened to him. "Isn't it a Halloween mask? Are you trying to scare me off?"

"J4F, Dakota," Cavendish rolled his eyes. "You could have got a loud rant from me. I thought of this Halloween prank to make up for a punishment…"

"The first one would be better!" Dakota stated. "This gives me the creep. And it's not even Halloween yet!"

"It is, in the author's time," the British man broke the fourth wall.

* * *

 **The scene below is switched constantly from Mr. Block in the park to Cavendish, Dakota and Gretchen in the old room. Read it carefully if you want to understand the context.**

Block's mind was totally blank. He just knew that he had to find that deep bond but he didn't know which couple had it. Without that small memory about his activity in the mind, he could easily become a mindless zombie.

It was recently, however that some flashback had suddenly come back to his memory.

 _At the very first moment when Gretchen reported the news to him._

 _(*) "Who are they?!" Block asked, when he saw a blond-haired girl and a black boy with yellow shirt. "And what is the connection between them and those two imbeciles"_

" _Well, according to the data I have, they and the time travellers know each other due to a kid named Milo Murphy."_

 _He also remembered when Gretchen had brought something called Milo's backpack to him._

 _(**)_ _"I got into the house, and unfortunately, I couldn't find the kid... BUT, I found this," she handed to the man Milo's backpack._

" _Hmm... Is this from the boy?" He asked, and Gretchen simply nodded._

 _The man examined further inside the backpack._

 _He then smirked with a devil laugh, "Great job, Gretchen! This could help us a lot in the find of Milo Murphy and his acquaintances. Oh, and I've got some new time travellers first class to join in this case. Brace yourself!"_

" _Yes, sir!" The woman exclaimed._

* * *

"So Gretchen, what do you want to show us?" Cavendish asked after the adults had seated themselves properly at a round table.

"This isn't fun, still!" Dakota exclaimed and couldn't brush off the prank Cavendish had given to him.

"Knock it off, you two," Gretchen whispered. "We don't have time for this nonsense."

The woman then looked around. She checked the door and locked it with two to three lockers. The brightness in the room was also adjusted to make the talk more comfortable and convenient.

"Wow, you seem to know a lot about a private talk, Gretchen," Dakota said.

"Thank you," Gretchen smiled.

"Psst, I can do more than that," Cavendish pouted. "But it's okay if you do it anyway."

"Again, stop talking nonsense!" Gretchen whispered. Her gesture had already pointed out that the stuff she was about to show them was not something they can mess around or make noise around it easily.

She put on the table… an image receiver and coordinator. Or to be more simply and specifically, Mr. Block's locator.

"Whoa…" both men dropped their jaws.

* * *

 _(***) He could recall the lecture he had given to Brick and Savannah:_

" _I know, you two are really potential agents. You two will have a better future, money and fame. And just think, your dreams will come true if there aren't any jerks in your way, especially those two nut guards!"_

 _(****) "And now, our next targets…" he grinned. "Milo Murphy and Amanda Lopez!"_

"Wait, why?" the old man gripped his hair and his head. "Why are these memories so strange but so familiar?"

* * *

"So Mr. Block has this 'radar' which can locate specifically Milo and Amanda," Dakota said. "There's a short distance between them."

"No, it's not short," Gretchen fixed. "If you put it in the 1:100 scale, their distance right now is about 565 meters."

"A perfect diagonal for a 32 thousands square meters area," Cavendish informed. "I do know where they are exactly. They're entering a Camping Competiton at a local park."

"That distance is logical enough," Gretchen frowned. "But why… What are they seperated for?"

* * *

"They… they planned a trick in front of me!" Block yelled. "Those two who are arguing! Somehow I now remember the images on that image receiver. It must be them!

Why fool me? Nevermind the reason. They have guts to have tricked me like that."

He tried to put in the signal of his workers and contacted them.

"Come here at my location! We have identified the targets!"

* * *

The "Free Day" has its advantages, but to Melissa, Zack and their teams, that day ain't easy to get through.

"Burden… burden…" Melissa muttered and was still in the mood of having made a horrible mistakes. Even when lying her body next to Zack for a rest, she still hadn't feel better.

"Can you stop saying that every five seconds?!" Zack sighed. He didn't like the way she was acting but he didn't know what he could do to help her out. "Hey, maybe we could get some ice cream again, ya know, before it gets dark."

"Heh, want to do that trick we made yesterday?" Melissa teased.

"Oh please…" Zack rolled his eyes. "But if you want, I can do it to you now."

"You mean it?" Melissa sat up and looked straight to him.

"Why do you desperately want it? I just suggested," the boy's cheeks got more red. "I'm just thinking of a way to… make you feel better. I know that you have not been doing anything wrong but-"

"Zack," she whispered and leaned her face closer to his. Zack could only widen his eyes as Melissa with her feet and hands on the ground leaned her face closer to him.

They both closed their eyes and aimed for another kiss when some noise triggered them to stop.

"Huh?" Melissa looked outside as she pushed Zack aside and saw a group of Time Bureau agents running.

"That was weird. They should be giving up by now," Melissa raised an eyebrow. "What makes them gather into an army?"

"Could it be…?" the girl covered her mouth in fear. "No! No, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening!"

"Melissa, keep your voice down and chill out!" Zack comforted her. Knowing that waiting wouldn't be a better choice, Zack suggested, "Let's follow them suit."

"Okay," Melissa nodded before they both walked silently behind the guards.

* * *

Meanwhile, both Amanda and Milo were packing things up. The time they agreed that they had jerked up enough had come, and it was the time for them to go back.

Suddenly, the girl felt kind of nervous. Meeting back with Milo was supposed to be emotional. She did not notice that her mysterious magenta flow was acting up again. It turned on and off repeatedly around her.

She picked up her walkie-talkie and called Milo again, "Heya… Milo. I feel scared."

"Because it's sunset?" Milo said. "No worries. We're about to get back. Though you remind me, I do have a strange feeling too."

The same thing happened to Amanda and Milo.

"Right, right… Are you running back?"

"Yeah, you try it too!"

While Milo was running by a bunch of trees, he didn't know that he accidentally dropped a photo back behind. A picture from Amanda's birthday landed next to the tree.

The weirdest odd occurred as a time vortex appeared next to it. Instead of sucking the birthday picture in, it released another picture of Dakota and Gretchen on fire. The fire spreaded slowly from the birthday picture to a tree nearby.

And so it began the process of sending the park in the wave of fire.

* * *

Dakota, Gretchen and Cavendish had already been driving the vehicle from road to road. They would join the battle and try whatever it takes to keep the tweens safe. However…

"I can't believe we have been inside that room for a hundred and twenty seconds, yet we haven't come up with a plan!" Cavendish complained. "What's the point of the meeting anyway? Show us some useless stuffs that we could make use of it at a better time."

"Stop complaining," Gretchen yelled at him. "I'm driving at fast as I could. How are their signals, Dakota?"

"According to the dots, it seemed like they was reaching closer," Dakota informed. "Then we'll think of a plan when we get there right?"

"Of course!" Gretchen proudly announced, closing her eyes. "My plan is as perfect as it could! You can count on-"

"Watch your driving, woman," Cavendish warned.

"AHH! Sorry!" Gretchen grinned awkwardly.

* * *

 **Notes for references to previous chapters:  
(*) Chapter 1: What Should I Wear?  
(**) Chapter 4: The Birthday Party (Part 2)  
(***) Chapter 8: Amanda Seeking Milo (Part 1)  
(****) Chapter 12: Guiding**


	18. Murphy's Law in Full Force

"Weird…" Milo looked at his palms and the surroundings while running. "Seems like I'm lighting the whole dark scene around here."

"Things seem brighter when I'm getting closer to the center," Amanda commented.

It was a fancy evening in Danville. Almost, if the sky hadn't got dark that soon at 6:10 p.m..

Milo felt around again. He could feel the heat around him but not paying attention to his back. Not when he had finally seen Amanda in front of him.

At the other side of the centre fountain, Amanda was breathing heavily. Instead of a tiring expression, she showed her happiness on her face when she could finally face him after a fake fight.

"Long time… no see, Amanda," the boy grinned.

"Yes, and it's nice to see you again," a voice came from behind Milo's back, "MILO!"

"Huh? Block?!" Amanda exclaimed.

Hearing the old voice and Amanda's warning, Milo quickly turned around and tried to push him down. Unfortunately, his two guards came and with their stronger hands, they held him stand still.

"No! What are you… trying to do?" Milo was struggling to escape.

"Hehe, so this is the real you now…" Block said.

"No!" Amanda screamed. "You can't do th-"

She tried to run to him, but as same as Milo, Amanda was forced to stay still by two other guards. The two holding Amanda were none other than Brick and Savannah, which couldn't get any worse.

"Now that I've set you two in place, I must inform that you have made a big mistake when having lied to the head of Bureau of Time Travel," Block made a malicious grin. "You, Milo Murphy and Amanda Lopez, along with the two others who have disguised as you are in big trouble!"

"How dare you! Never do that to them!" Amanda yelled.

"Don't do this, Block!" Milo followed, but his tone showed more begging and pleading.

"Settle down! Settle down!" Block calmed them. "There are many questions in front of you, but to do that, please cooperate with us. Guards?"

"Yes, sir!" they obeyed as they did what they had been instructed: to spray a knockout gas on Milo and Amanda. The most they could do was to release themselves from the guards and stand on the ground before starting to lose conciousness.

"Melissa, Zack… Amanda… I am… sorry…" Milo muttered.

"I… can't… get up anymore…" Amanda teared up. She couldn't even stand with her hands. "I am… sorry Milo. It's… my plan…"

Those were the words they said before having fainted. Just before Melissa and Zack came and picked another bush nearby to hide and watch.

"Oh no… we're too late," Zack gritted his teeth.

"It's all my fault," Melissa rammed her head on a tree instead. "I should have set them apart for a little longer. They were right!"

"At what time can you even say that?!" the boy warned her. "And stop it. They're gonna see us."

Melissa stopped crying, "We should get out there and save them! I can't just watch!"

Zack prevented her by holding her shoulder, "Wait, no! We're outnumbered. What exactly do you want us to do?"

They were panicking a lot that they couldn't think properly anymore.

"And one more thing, folks. Catch those two who have dared to play a dummy game in front of me," Block commanded. That threatened Zack and Melissa when they tried to hide inside the bush again.

It was difficult to save their friends then. They couldn't even know how to save themselves from getting spotted.

"Sir, I think they could just be nearby," a male guard told him. "It's these two's friends after all. Of course they're gonna be here to save them."

"We're doomed…" she whispered and shivered.

"Hey, don't talk so loud…" Zack warned her again.

All of a sudden, all of them heard a loud rumble. It was made by a first tree that collapsed near them, followed by a wave of hot, red fire. You could say it was a wildfire.

"Wait, what is happening?" Savannah feared.

"I don't know, but things can get _very_ messy," Brick followed her mood.

"Stop fearing, you fools!" Block yelled at them and other guards. "We must leave now and-"

"But the trees…" another guard warned, "…they're falling and the fire… they're spreading so quick…"

Block couldn't say any word as he looked around. A circle of fire had formed around him and his guards carrying unconcious Milo and Amanda.

"Uh-oh, this could get messy…"

Meanwhile…

"Ah!" Melissa put off the fire dust from her skirt. "How can there be a wave of fire?"

"But look, they're distracted! We have to get away," Zack suggested.

"No! We can come back-"

"I strongly object it," the boyband said. He grabbed her hand and tried to put themselves far away from the fire. "It's already a wave of fire back there. We can likely die if we get in there!"

"Die?!" Melissa exclaimed.

"Look, if you want to see them back, trust me. We, uh…" Zack tried his best to comfort her. "We'll try our best later on."

"Zack…" she was amazed by his bravery. It occasionally happens, but Zack can be cool once he knows how to protect his friends from danger. That is his role in the trio after all: to be the precautious one.

Meanwhile, Richard was relaxing by listening to music in the early 2000 with a disc jockey. Suddenly, a loud explosion startled him and made the disc fall off.

"What the-?" he shocked as the precious disc broke. On a higher note, he saw black smoke rising from many places. And he felt hotter than usual too, "What is happening?"

The next thing he knew was the children who was screaming and running to his direction.

"Sir Chase, sir Chase!" a boy pulled his pant leg. "Help us! There's fire…"

"A FIRE?!" the element he fought hardest.

"Richard, I'm glad you're here," Grulinda ran into his camp. Seemed to him like it was a real trouble.

"There is a fire, isn't it?"

"Not just a normal fire. It's a wildfire, and I think it's almost coming to your place!" Grulinda warned.

"Well, that can't be good… The whole park can be affecting by this. I must get help now…" he whispered. "Don't worry Grulinda. We'll sort things out. You guys run outside first."

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Chase!" the boy and other kids ran to the gate. "We're counting on you."

"Be safe, okay?" Grulinda said.

"I will."

Just as Grulinda had thought, the fire had almost reached to his camp as well. He grinned as he pulled out an idea in action. "Witness this. The Precious Protector. Luckily I brought one of these. It will stick on the ground with high pressure and fire can't spread inside it due to the lack of oxygen inside it. That way, our stuffs should be safe. And just in case, I have Zack and Melissa's backpacks on my back."

He stood there and took pride in himself a little bit, "I'm a total genius, aren't I. Now… let's protect this park!"

He took out his phone and called for his co-workers, "Attention, all units! Please send out as much force as you can. There's a wildfire at Hamilton Park. Pull out your biggest water guns and set this off quickly! This is not a drill! I repeat: THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"

Minutes after his command, fire trucks and firemen were sent away to do the important job.

"Oh wait, I forgot!" Richard realized one thing he had forgot. "Melissa and kids…"

He ran back, but was stopped by trees falling in front of him. "Geez, I can't run in like this. But Melissa…"

Richard recalled the death of his wife. _"Man, fate is playing a cruel joke, isn't it?_

 _That horrible day, I couldn't save her in time. The fire went off too fast…"_

 **10 years ago. News said "MAJOR FIRE DESTROY WORK AND WORKERS."**

 _Everyone was working tirelessly that day. Something Richard's wife told him on paper. All the workers wanted to get home early so they could have Christmas with their family. As a top secretary, Matsumi Chase was doing her hardest of the year._

 _Meanwhile, Martin kept complaning about how many times his keyboard suddenly got broken. Murphy's Law never gave him a break, even in Christmas._

" _Ugh… if it keeps like this, I'll never have a Christmas with my family," he stood up from his workspace and looked for new keyboards by himself. He could call one to help him, but his frustation and worriness were driving him crazy that day._

 _Anyway, he entered to the basement and looked for a new keyboard. The storage was, however, near the total fuse box of the whole building. He didn't see it coming though. Like other workers, Martin had to do his best too._

 _With a normal person, staying in a storage for a minute shouldn't be a problem. With Martin, his Murphy's Law could call a small glitch in seconds. More concerning, this glitch had damaged the wires caused a blackout on the top story. His work office was in the lowest story and the one where Matsumi worked was in the top story so in result, Martin didn't realize it until later, while with Matsumi, things had already gone mayhem._

" _A blackout? But why?" Matsumi exclaimed. Everyone on the floor had already panicked. With Matsumi, she was no coward to danger. She dialed to her husband right away._

 _ **Chase residence**_

" _Space adventure! It's an adventure in space!" the voice came out from a 4-year-old Melissa. Back there, she was energetic and handful. She kept running around and flying the plane in her hand while turning on the TV running the lastest episode of Space Adventure._

" _Melissa, you should decide whether to watch TV or to play that airplane," Richard called his daughter to him and the girl hugged his feet. Richard had written a form to the chief to have a day off with his family. The chief was kind as he said everyone deserved to have some time to rest on Christmas._

" _Can I do both? I promise I will be good," Melissa gazed at him with her round blue eyeballs._

" _Of course you can," Richard smirked, pulling out a challenge to his daughter. "Make sure you finish the lastest episode and the plane, and Santa will have a present for ya."_

" _Yay!" she ran off again. "Plane, plane, let's watch Space Adventure together!"_

 _Richard chuckled while his daughter was back at the living room. He was still sitting there in the kitchen, waiting for at least a message or a phone call from Matsumi, his wife._

" _Ah… Matsumi, be sure to come back soon. Your daughter is eagerly waiting just for you…"_

 _Right at that time, he received a phone call from Matsumi. He was delighted and picked up right away, "Matsumi! Are you going home? How has the work been?"_

" _Not quite well. I'm not going back yet," Richard could clearly hear Matsumi's footsteps. "The top floor of the building is suffering a blackout. It may well spread to the lower floor and according to my sense, there's a fire coming in my way."_

" _No way! A fire?!" Richard screamed but he quickly covered his mouth, as he didn't want to get Melissa's attention. "So where are you at the building?"_

" _I'm almost reaching to the stair. I think I-" the call went off after Richard heard an explosion._

" _What? Matsumi!" Richard tried to call her again but it was no use anymore._

 _She didn't pick it up._

" _No way…" the fireman exclaimed. He ran outside the house from the backdoor and reached the front yard as again, he didn't want to draw Melissa's attention._

 _This time, he called the chief and quickly got the connection._

" _Ah… Chase, my man. How's your Christmas going?"_

" _There's no time for that, Chief!" Mr. Chase yelled. "Sorry… but this is urgent! My wife has told me that there may well be a fire at the New Town Building. Get there quickly!"_

" _Now hold on, Chase, how can you be so sure about that? Did your wife just tell you about it?" the chief wondered._

" _Yeah, and she has a strong sense. We better get going!" Richard urged his boss._

" _Well alright, but I can't guarantee we can't be there quickly. Ya know, everyone is going out and snow is falling…"_

" _Just… think up of something!" Richard begged him but it was no use._

" _Okay, that's good to hear. We'll be on our way. Bye," the chief dropped the phone call, not letting Richard saying another word._

 _The chief was right. The firemen were having a great time with their families and he was the only one to be warned about the situation._

 _He couldn't just leave Melissa all alone in the house with doors unlocked. And Matsumi was in danger. Richard thought he couldn't waste any other second._

 _He could give her a notice though, "Melissa, daddy's going out for a moment. Can you wait?"_

" _Sure! Then I'll finish the Christmas task before you know it," Melissa cheered._

 _He whispered and sighed in relief, "That's good…"_

 _Richard put a large water hose on the back of his car before driving to Matsumi's workplace._

 _ **After the fire had been put out…**_

" _Matsumi, wake up!" Richard held her whole body with his arms. Matsumi's body was burned and dusted for the most part. Worse, she couldn't open her eyes apparently._

" _You can do it! You will come home with us for Christmas right? You've promised it," he was carrying her to the ambulance while tears was flowing on his face. "Matsumi! Please hear me!"_

" _This way, Mr. Chase," one of the nurses directed him. Not long after, the ambulance was driven away._

 _At another spot outside the building, Martin and Brigette looking for him later were both looking at the ambulance driving away._

" _Hon, don't be sad. It's-"_

" _-not my fault, I know," Martin sighed. "I better not work here. Let's get home, shall we?"_

" _But…"_

" _Come on! The kids are waiting!"_

 _Brigette couldn't stand seeing her husband like this. It wasn't fair._

 _She followed him, but silently teared up. How could the world be so unfair to him? Murphy's Law had already caused too much trouble for them._

 _(*) "I only have my daughter left. She means the world to me," Richard stated. "Well, if I lose her, I won't have anything left._

 _Nothing will be left."_

* * *

" _Melissa is in there, whereabouts is unknown…"_ Richard thought. _"And here's me, who hadn't been able to save my dear wife…"_

He clenched his palms tighter. His determination to save his only daughter was at his best, "I can't lose Melissa. I'll save her no matter what! Matsumi, count on me! I'll protect our daughter even though it may well cost this one fireman!"

He jumped into the fire, much to Grulinda and the kids' ashtonishment.

"Be careful, Richard!" Grulinda said.

"You can do it, Mr. Chase!" most of the kids rooted for the fireman

At another gate of the park, the Lola gang had luckily made a quick escape.

"D'aw…" Lola moaned. "How come is there a wildfire during this beautiful camping day huh?"

"This kinda reminds me of my first adventure with Amanda," Zane recalled an adventure he had that related to fire and such. **(Note: you can only understand this detail only if you are a follower of my Spotlight AU story "Here's My Number." If not, let's just assume that Amanda and Zane met and had their first adventure)** It was a close call as Lola was almost injured by Murphy's Law from Milo. How much worried he was back there…

He did wonder if this wildfire from the park was caused by Milo Murphy's Law as well. That could be likely.

"First adventure with Amanda? How come haven't I heard this?" Madge questioned.

"We'll tell you sometimes…" Zane comforted.

"Now now, this wildfire is not our concern. We've got our stuffs so let's go," Chelsea – the adult of the camp – led the three teenagers to their own house.

Following the Lola gang, Phineas and his friends had also exited in time. They seemed to have been burned a bit more deeply.

"Boy, that was close," Phineas exclaimed. "And with all of the machines I made, it was a good chance for the wildefire to spread."

"Yeah, it was just _all of a sudden…_ " Isabella said. "Let's get back to Phineas' house, guys."

"Shouldn't we do anything with the wildfire?" Baljeet questioned.

"Right…" Phineas nodded in agreement. "I can make a super sprinkler to…"

Buford interrupted his idea, "Lame! Your inventions cause enough trouble. Besides, this is a job for firemen. We can cause big understanding once they know that your inventions lend a big hand to that wildfire."

"I know but…"

"Phineas," Isabella held his shoulder and shook her head. "We should get back home. It was a tiring day.

Besides, let's be realistic: we don't have enough power to put out that fire."

"Now that you mention it, you're right," Baljeet also agreed.

"Alright…" Phineas sighed. "Want to get some Slushy Dawg on our way?"

"Haha! Way to go, Dinner Bell!" Buford exclaimed. "It's something you and I can agree on."

"Isn't it a little inappropriate to eat at this G time?" Isabella questioned.

"We can't help it, so why don't we do what Phineas said?" Baljeet cheered.

"I can have one," Ferb said.

Much to their surprise, however, all the lights were shut down one by one, which sent the whole city in the darkness. Only the fire at Hamilton Dark was being in a different color.

Phineas and Ferb turned on their flashlights and looked around, "Seems like Danville is in a big trouble."

* * *

Around Melissa and Zack, beside the fire, was filled with blank black sight. If this kept up, they would have a hard time to locate themselves out.

Not long before, they ran away after hearing Mr. Block and his gang would capture them for fooling him. Things had been worse after those men had successfully kidnapped Milo and Amanda.

And with this sudden fire joined the fun, they had no choice but to keep themselves alive first.

Melissa gave a complain while running, "Ugh! Now a blackout too? What the heck is going on here?"

Zack somehow felt a bit positive during the situation, "Well… don't you think it's great?"

"And HOW IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE GREAT?" the girl yelled.

Both of them stopped. Zack raised a question, "Melissa, what's wrong? You seem more stressful than usual."

"How can't I?" Melissa confessed. "My friends are in danger because of my dumb plan. And instead of saving them, we're running like a couple of cowards! How do you think I'm supposed to feel?"

"I know how you feel…" Zack said to her calmly.

The girl looked up to his face and noticed something off. Zack, who's always a precautious one, seems a lot more calm than herself.

"Zack, are you okay?... We're… in the middle of… a wildfire ya know. And there're… that…" she muttered.

"I know it all…" he replied calmly again. "I know that it's frustating to feel useless… and… to feel like a coward. I can feel it too, but you know what? I'm not afraid anymore."

"You are? But aren't we just…"

"…running, I know. But I don't want you to get hurt. If that happens, how can you possibly see him after it?" Zack explained to her.

Melissa smiled. Hearing those words certainly reassured her and changed her mood for the better, "I get it now. But how are we supposed to get back to them?"

"Well, that should be easy…" he stated confidently. "The fire could guide us back, couldn't it?"

"Wow! That's super calmly awesome, Zack!" the girl was amazed.

Zack humbly chuckled, "It was nothing though… Ah, this feeling of calmness. Now I get it… How Milo is able to deal this with ease… It's so much easier one you get a lot of it.

For a long time, I had been keeping myself in my own world. Where no one could put pressure on me. Where I was free to sing, to do whatever I want."

"It got boring quickly, right?" Melissa guessed and smiled.

"Yep, that was, before I met you guys. Together we have overcome many adentures. I realize how big this world is. I will never know it if I don't move to here, Danville. If I had hope, even a little, I would believe for magic to happen," Zack stated. "After all, a wise girl told me that…"

" _Sometimes you have to take a step forward to change something," Amanda comforted Zack who was about to have an ultimate date with Melissa. (**)_

"Who _was_ that girl?" Melissa smirked and teased him in order to find out the secret. "You two must be close."

"She's in the same class with us. By the way, we have to get going," Zack ran ahead first.

One thing for sure, Zack was no longer a coward like he used to be. He was precautious, but a friend in need, and a hero indeed.

"Hey, who's the girl in the same class that you mentioned?" Melissa persitently asked.

"Can we leave this for later? We can be close to that guy now…" Zack warned.

"Alright, but I won't forget this," they both laughed.

* * *

Much to Zack and Melissa's favors, the Block gang didn't move one bit. Since the town was out of electricity, they couldn't contact to the future. All they could do was waiting for the circle around them to stop flaming.

"My, it feels so hot in here," Savannah exclaimed.

"Can you think of a better sentence? And are we just gonna leave those two there? They may get burned, you know?" Brick told Block but seemed like their boss ignored his warning.

"Maybe…" the leader whispered. "Our plan is spoiled entirely. This blackout may take a few days to repair. And outside the park, a lot of people are waiting to know our identity. If we caught them in our hands, we would get suspected right on the spot. I'm afraid that retreat is our only choice."

"So we leave them there?"

"Of course, you dumbkopf!" the old man yelled. "Who cares about them right now? Let's free ourselves first!"

"Oh, you mean the plan H-because-plan-C-to-G-don't-work?! You got it!" a woman who was his staff agreed.

"Let's run away…" then all of them ran like the fools themselves used their best in just running at that moment.

They didn't care even the slightest of Milo and Amanda. How would their fate turn out when around them was nothing but flame and darkness?

* * *

Around that time, Cavendish, Dakota and Gretchen had reached to the park. Much to their surprise, they saw two things: the darkness and you-know-what.

"Holy smoke…" Cavendish dropped his jaws then took a picture of the horrible scene.

"This is not worth a picture, man," Dakota ranted. "How're the kids' signals going?"

"They still stay in the center, see?" Gretchen showed him. "But there is a serious wildfire, isn't it?"

Dakota, Cavendish and Gretchen stared at the park with concern. What could happen to the jinx and the perfectionist?

"Why… aren't they running?" Gretchen whispered.

It just occurred to her that she had been caring for them a lot recently.

 _(***) "I am a special person who can sense all abnormal phenomenal activities. And those jerks who have taken your backpack are seeking you, and maybe_ _ **you**_ _." Gretchen wearing a dark coat covering her entire body warned them. "I need you to stay at home and prepare for any circumstances."_

 _(****) "Do you want to save Milo, my girl?" Gretchen offered nicely._

" _Definitely! I already miss him, even if it's for a few minutes. No one is gonna stop me from taking him back," Amanda stated with determination._

 _(*****) "No, Milo! What are you doing?" asked Gretchen from the cabin._

" _I just want to see it clearer."_

" _Are you insane? What if you fall into the time stream?" Gretchen warned._

" _No sweat. I have done this at least once, with Cavendish and Dakota," Milo informed._

The woman shook her head and looked ubsastifying. She whispered, "We can't just stand here…"

"Huh?" Dakota checked her and though he hadn't heard half of her sentence, he could be certain that Gretchen was worried for Milo and Amanda and she wanted to bust them out.

He smiled. Guess he couldn't stop her anyway, "Fine. I'll go with you."

"Wait, are you insane?" Cavendish questioned. "Just to be safe, I would _not_ go there if I were you."

"Exactly," both of them grinned while looking at him devilly, "And your mission is to look out our car and be our last resort."

Not long after, they climbed over the fence and entered the flaming small forest.

"These two…" Cavendish sighed. The British then saw a teenage boy who seemed to be a volunteered crossing guard. He was running to Gretchen and Dakota's climbing spot and in an attempt to stop them.

"Stop! You two are committing a safety violation! I said stop! Won't you-"

"I'm sorry, but who are you and what are you doing here?" Cavendish stood behind him and asked.

"Oh, this is just great. This world is totally messed up," Elliot ranted. "Do you see those two people? They are running into a flaming wood. A FLAMING WOOD!"

Cavendish rolled his eyes, grinning awkwardly like he didn't know anything about it, "Um… yeah, that sounds serious. But I was told that they come to rescue a few kids in there. You know, kids… And they are… professional paramedics….hehe…"

"Really? Well that's fine by me," Elliot sighed in relief before running away, "Now I can finally try the 20-flavor ice cream without bothering something outside my jurisdiction."

"Glad that's over with," the man politely wiped out the dust from his clothes like a royalty.

He looked at the fire again. This time, he hoped that Dakota, Gretchen and the kids could overcome it.

"Gretchen, Dakota, kids, good luck!"

* * *

Back to the center of the park, situation hadn't changed for the better. Amanda and Milo, who left unconcious, were still trapped in the middle of the fire.

Amanda slowly started to get back into her sense. She shook her head slightly, but realized that she couldn't open her eyes and breath.

She coughed, _"Wait, what's this? I can't open my eyes! And it feels like… we're in a frying pan."_

As the sweat around her started to flow harder and the air was rare, she called out the name vaguely while trying to move her left hand, "M-Mi-Milo…"

With Milo, he felt the same as she did. He couldn't open his eyes as well, and soon realized that the world was flaming around them.

" _Wait, fire?"_ Milo freaked out in his mind. _"But- how could it be?"_

"AAAH!" he exclaimed after a large branch fell out from a tree and landed on his body. Not only was he hurted by the force of it, but also was from the heat of its wooden skin.

" _I guess… that's it… But then Amanda… No!"_

He called out her name without knowing her whereabouts apparently, "Amanda! If you hear me…"

He used his right hand to reach out somewhere. He could feel someone was there, "…answer me, Amanda!"

* * *

Meanwhile, it was a race for Melissa and Zack to save their best friends. After having been motivated, Melissa jumped from place to place fastly. She hadn't felt this determined for a long time.

"You… maybe right… Zack," Melissa exclaimed happily. "If we do hope, something magical will happen."

Zack agreed, but he looked around and saw a few trees or branches collapsing one by one.

"Uh, I did say it, Melissa, but you should run carefully," Zack warned.

"Haha, why should I?" her optimism could something take over her brain. "It doesn't seem like a tree wil—"

Suddenly, a tree next to her almost fell into her for no reason. She widened her eyes. The fear of the tree being able to hit her made her stand like a rock.

It wouldn't have been almost, if Zack hadn't been there in time and pushed her away to take on the falling tree for her.

Melissa was pushed away and sat on the ground, looking at Zack holding the tree for a few seconds before being knocked away and lied on the ground.

That was one large tree. He was able to dodge the fall after holding it but quickly getting unconscious afterwards.

"Zack?" her eyes started to tear up. The blush in her cheeks was for another reason. The tears in her eyes… she was touched that he did that way to save her. And now he was unconscious.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered and cried out his name loudly. "Zaaackk! Please… you have to be okay!"

Richard heard a noise sounded like her daughter while he was running in.

"Sounds like it's from Melissa."

He quickly ran to the source of the noise. Immidiately, he saw his daughter. She was crying for Zack who was unconscious.

"Hear me, Zack! You can't leave me alone!" she cried while hugging him.

"Melissa, what happened? And what's up with Zack?"

"H-he saved me, dad! And- because of that, well…" Melissa cried on his body again. Next to them was a collapsed tree, so Richard could easily get the situation.

"Alright. I get it. Melissa, you bring Zack outsdie. Are Milo and Amanda still in here?" Richard asked.

"Yeah… they're still in there and kidnapped by some gang," Melissa told him. "We were on the way to rescue them."

"Oh, silly friends…" Richard then said. "Alright then. They're at the center of the park right? I'll go there, while you bring Zack outside. There must be an ambulance waiting."

"Right!" Melissa obeyed as she carried Zack on her shoulder and took him outside.

After making sure Melissa stepped out safely, Richard kept running ahead. Somehow he looked even more concerned after having known Amanda and Milo still in there.

" _How could this be possible? Amanda, Milo, please be safe!"_

At the same time, Dakota and Gretchen ran as fast as they could. Both were watching out for trees before thinking of any plans.

They knew they could save Milo and Amanda from danger. And later, Mr. Block would pay for it at any cost he could deserve.

* * *

In a place unknowingly far far away, a scene of black-and white world appeared in front of us. Not long after Gretchen and Dakota leaving, the old woman decided to put out a campfire to cheer for them by her own.

She was old and clumsy and… a little too blind to see the pictures of Dakota and Gretchen on the ground.

"Branches, branches. Luckily these still exists. No one cares about these antique kinds anymore…" she stated.

The old woman sighed before putting fire on them, "Let's rest in peace, shall we?

There's nothing like to be back to a happy life in heaven," she smiled.

* * *

 **Notes for references to previous chapters:**

 **(*) Chapter 16: We're Friends Again (Part 2)**

 **(**) Chapter 6: Feelings from Melissa**

 **(***) Chapter 7: A Warning and a Power**

 **(****) Chapter 8: Amanda Seeking Milo (Part 1)**

 **(*****) Chapter 10: Getting Closer for New Adventure  
**

 **A/N: We're down to two chapters left, guys! Let me know your thoughts about this one, about Milanda or Richard or anything! Well, I hate to say it but our fun journey has almost reached to an end! See you in the next chapter!**


	19. The Sweetest Moment

Back to the flaming park, as we all knew, Milo and Amanda were in danger of getting burned. They could feel the hundred-celsius heat drawing nearer and nearer to their head, hands, feet or so.

"Hold up just a darn minute," Milo yelled and stood up on his knnes suddenly. "Is the park really on fire?" He looked around curiously like nothing had ever happened to him. "Oh, and there's a branch on my stomach."

"Yeah, I feel the same too," Amanda stated. She still lied down on the ground though.

"Amanda? Don't feel good somewhere?" Milo asked.

"Nah, I just prefer to lie down here, to chat with you, to hold your hand…"

"Hold my hand?!" Milo blushed. He turned to look his hands and realized that she was right.

They did hold their hands. Not only did their palms touch, but also they could feel another's fingers one by one.

"Did we?" the boy whispered. "How? And… you got some kind of… magenta… aura?"

Amanda chuckled hard, "Opps, sorry, my bad… Then I guess my eyesight didn't say me wrong. You're having a pink glow too. Or kinda red… maybe."

"I think… I remember what happened…"

Back to when Amanda and Milo was still struggling on how to get back to their sense and run away from the fire, they reached each of their hands to the point that they held hands. That brief moment actually saved them from grave danger.

"I did realize that," Amanda nodded. "Hey, we should stay like this for longer."

Milo rolled his eyes and smirked, knowing she was joking around. "What are you talking about?... We should get onto this fast."

"Don't you think everything here tells us something?"

"Huh?"

"Our hands are holding and the auras appear, somehow," Amanda informed. "I'm not a fan of it, but it sure looks like we're having a fantasy bond."

"A fantasy bond? Like, there's something that connects us and deepens our friendship?" Milo questioned.

"That's what I thought," the girl stated. "Hey, stop standing on your knees. Sit, okay?"

"You seem to be calm about this, don't you?" Milo questioned sarcastically.

"Not as calm as you are," Amanda giggled. "I'll sit too, alright?"

"It's not like we can get out anyway. But it's strange…" Milo said. "Somehow I can't feel the fire around me right now."

"Riiight?" Amanda then confessed after sitting tight and almost left no space between the two. "Actually, I _am_ worried at first. But by slowly realizing the situation, I realize that they were right after all."

"They? I wonder who they are?" Milo smirked.

"Gretchen, and Dakota, much to your surprise," Amanda confirmed. That did surprise the Murphy boy. Probably he would like to know how Amanda could get contacted to them in the first place.

"If I know them well, they might come to you for a good reason," Milo said.

"It _is_ a good reason now," Amanda then told him the meeting she had three months ago.

* * *

 **February 14th, Valentine's Day**

Students know very well that they won't miss a chance to do something romantic on Valentine's Day. As a student of Jefferson County Middle School, Amanda knows about the day too. But the perfectionist agreed that she wasn't some kind of the romance-addicted.

Though she would give out something called 'friendship chocolate' to some boys in her class.

"Here, Mort. It's the best kind I have bought," Amanda said.

"Wow, thanks!" the drummer gladly accepted it. "It's meaningful especially if it comes from you."

The girl giggled, "How flattered though," she then saw Zack, the singer of Just Getting Started. She called him and quickly threw to him another piece.

"Yo! Zack! Have it!"

"Uh, thanks, I guess," Zack smiled. "Have a nice Valentine, monitor."

"Sure will!" Amanda exclaimed. 15 minutes before the first class started and by giving chocolate to the boys she knew, Valentine's Day with her certainly had been over. Not that she minded it.

There was someone she was still missing out. Not until he entered the classroom with Melissa nearby that Amanda remembered that boy.

Melissa seemed to have given him the chocolate but she looked pretty freaking out.

"Wait, Milo! Don't try it! You… should let me try it first," Melissa said.

"I will be fine, don't worry," Milo comforted her and then ate a piece that she made.

"I'm not a natural cook so if it's hard then please-"

"It's good, although it's kind of hard but I like it," Milo said.

"Really?" the girl touched. Melissa never had any intention of giving the chocolate box to anyone. Somehow Melissa accidentally gave it to him because she thought that she could do anything to make her best friend happy. And just like that…

"I mean it. Happy Valentine, Melissa."

"Looks good, Melissa," Zack joined just about time. "Can I have one?"

"No, not you too…" the girl groaned, which made both of the boys laugh.

Amanda paid attention to their discussion from her seat. They seemed to have so much fun but her eyes sticked to Milo for a solid minute.

It occurred to her that since Milo helped her many times on special occasions, she couldn't help but amaze and every time he stepped into the class, she just thought of how amazing that person was.

" _No way. What are you thinking, me? It's clearly that Milo's just on my eyesight. There's no such nonsense that I am gazing at him."_

Amanda then thought she could use some remaining time to eat her favorite: one of the chocolate cakes that she had been baking for days until she could finally meet Basil Bravo.

Although she had finally met him and that wasn't an important task anymore, Amanda still had a spare of them on her fridge.

She opened the box containing the cake. Just when she was about to pick it up, her hands shivered and thought of the past events.

With the cake she had made, she was finally able to play in the Cake 'Splosion competition with Milo, which she felt it was unfortunate at first.

But as they played out and worked with each other, she realized that they were a better team than she expected.

She thought it was only Milo that could help her to win the game. His reflexes, his calmness when dealing with Murphy's Law, especially his adoring, cheerful smile. The happy expression he made somehow cheered her. She felt happier when working together with him.

Although they lost in the game, they had so much fun. She was glad to be announced that both of them won given by how impressive their performance was. She was so happy that she could just embrace Milo at the moment.

That moment.

That might be the start of… her love for Milo.

Not just some kind of distant and cold feelings for him. Far from it.

Her feelings for him came from the amazement and the adoration she secretly had for him.

That she would tell him how much those had been kept in her heart, in some day.

But anyway, in the end of the game, they didn't have a chance to taste out their own cake – the cake that both of them created.

" _Was an embarace just enough?"_ a question came into her mind and she disagreed with it. _"Wait, Milo never really tastes how good my cake is._

 _That cake we made together basically had the same taste. The way me and Milo made it were pretty lookalike._

 _Hence, I have been eating my own cake for countless times. It needs someone else to try, doesn't it?"_

Then it was decided. Amanda closed the box, then putting it inside a small cooler. It should be intacted before she gave it to Milo by the end of the school day.

 **Three hours later…**

The final bell rang and seemed like most of everyone left the class early. Zack and Melissa patted on Milo's hair before leaving.

" _Great, now it is just me and him."_

Milo was about to stand up and walk through the door when someone called his name.

"Milo!"

The boy turned his head to the right. Amanda was there and looked at him seriously.

"Oh, Amanda… Did I forget something?" he thought he had done something that could make Amanda – the monitor of the class – unpleased. "Is it my duty today that I forgot? I'll take the broom and-"

"Wait!" she stopped him and informed. "It's nothing like that. Though it is true that today is your day duty. But… I'm staying to tell you something."

"Oh, okay," Milo gladly heard her. "What is it that you want to tell me, Amanda?"

Now that he stayed to hear her, Amanda walked shyly to him. She somehow only looked at Milo with worriness. Though she had come closer to talk to him easier, it was obvious from her walk that Amanda seemed to act a bit off.

"Amanda, is… there something wrong?" Milo tilted his head.

"That's not it, silly Milo!" the girl freaked out. "Wait! Forget what I have just said! It's just my emotions."

Milo didn't get the reason why she had to be worried. Milo and Amanda were classmates and if Milo recollected, there was no event that could prove that she had done something embarassing to him.

Unless, Milo suddenly thought of Melissa earlier. That could explain to Amanda's situation, but just to be sure…

"Wait, Amanda… don't tell me that…?"

"Here!" she opened the cooler, took out the small chocolate box and gave it to him. Her face was blushed deeply like never before. She couldn't even face him now. "Take it, Milo. It's my Valentine gift."

Amanda stammered, "The… ch-chocolate… cake… I… m-made."

The words made Milo blushed as well. Milo slowly took the box and they stood hard like rock for a few moments. Amanda just couldn't hide her embarassment that she could have made for the first time in her life, in the history of a Valentine Day.

Milo just stood there and treasured it, not knowing what to say next.

"Wow… Amanda… I-uh…"

 **(The song "Happy" by Nevershoutnever played in the background)**

 _You make me happy_

 _Whether you know it or not_

 _We should be happy_

 _That's what I said from the start_

 _I am so happy_

 _Knowing you are the one that I want for the rest of my days…_

 _For the rest of my days…_

 _You're all of my days._

Milo opened the box and saw a chocolate cake that he did see it before. The only difference that it was given to him instead of Basil by Amanda.

"I did see this little guy before," Milo delighted to meet it again. He laughed awkwardly as a way to comfort her. Then he thought, _"And to think Amanda has done all the way just to give me this. It's Valentine's Day, so I get that she can be embarrassed._

 _So maybe her feelings… Wait! That's not it, is it?"_ Milo shook his head.

 _You're looking so cool_

 _You're looking so fly, I can't deny_

 _That when I'm staring you down right dead in the eye_

 _I wanna try_

 _To be the person you want_

 _The person you need!_

 _It's hard to conceive_

 _That somebody like you_

 _Could be…_

 _With someone like me…_

"Hold up!" Amanda said and then used her hand to hold his hands, one of which was holding her cake. She was afraid that Murphy's Law could make him drop it and all the effort she made in the morning would be finished.

"Oh… okay, I see what you mean," Milo sweated as Amanda was staying too near to him.

"There," the girl had made sure that she got the cake tight. "Now open your mouth, Murphy boy."

"Why do I feel like I'm a 2-year-old kid?" Milo chuckled.

As much pleased as he was, Milo didn't open his mouth however.

"What's wrong, Milo? You have chocolate on your lips," Amanda said. "You should open your mouth and I'll do the rest."

"Well, I just wonder there is any chance that… you want to eat it as well? Then let's finish it together!" Milo thought of an idea.

Amanda blushed but quickly denied that idea, "No, thanks. I have eaten way too much of it. And to think that I have given this to you for the first time…"

"I understand…" he whispered. "It's just… you remember the end of the Cake 'Splosion right?"

"Yeah, we've won impressively!" Amanda said. "Is there something wrong, Milo?"

"I thought that because of me… we had never tasted the cake we had been creating…" Milo sadly informed.

"You know, Milo… I was thinking just the same. It's a shame though but don't worry, I'm fine with that," Amanda comforted him.

"Even so, it will be a win-win if we share this cake, won't it?" Milo happily requested. "Please Amanda…

You and I will both be happy by this right?"

"R-right…" Amanda shyly accepted.

She had the time to look Milo eating one half of the cake while thinking of an important sentence to say to Milo.

The one that could change turn their relationship to a new page.

An infamous quote in every Valetine's Day: be my Valentine.

Something had been urging Amanda to say it to him. She had been thinking carefully about it: it had been too embarassing already. But the situation had been embarassing so why should she be worried?

And… it's Valentine's Day so she thought it was the perfect time to say it. Just a quote after all. She could test it out on Milo

"Milo… be-"

"There, I finished mine," Milo interrupted in her most moment. "You're saying?"

"I-uh… nothing," Amanda chuckled. "Nothing important."

She ate the rest of the cake and finally finished her most intense Valentine's Day ever, _"And I miss the chance."_

"Hey, Amanda," Milo said. "Be my Valentine, Amanda. Or… I think that's the sentence. Agree?"

Of course, his goofy expression made the sentence less awkward. She happily agreed and nodded her head, "Of course, be my Valentine, Milo!"

"It's our day duty, so we should do our work," Milo said. "And we can walk to home together, right?"

"Mhm, I bet it will be fun," Amanda exclaimed.

And so that marked the first Valentine's Day that Milo and Amanda shared together. It was another event that they could never forget.

* * *

 **The (fiery) present**

"Now I remember I have read it somewhere," Milo said. "We ate the same cake, so it's called 'an inderect kiss.'"

Amanda punched his elbow and laughed, "Damn it, why do you have to say it out? My stomach hurts… with laughters. Anyway… it's what happened after the school day."

* * *

 **Continuing with the past story**

Amanda finally came home. She greeted her parents, had dinner and went to bed to take a nap after such an intense day.

"Man… what a day…" she muffled on her pillow. The girl then released it and dialogued on her own. "It should be clear that I appreciate Milo more than ever. Now, the first thing I do is-"

However, an unexpected entrance from two adults to her house could change things around a little bit.

That was when she was informed by 'them.'

The door bell of the Lopez house rang.

"Coming!" Amanda's mother opened the door when she saw two strangers standing in front of her house.

"Hello ma'am. Hope you have a nice day," Gretchen said.

"We'd like to meet your daughter, Amanda Lopez, please," Dakota followed.

"That's strange. I don't think my daughter has ever met you two," the woman concerned.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt anyone. Right, Dakota?" Gretchen elbowed him. "Come on, man."

"Yeah, it's not like a flaming pistachio cart will crash into your house or something," Dakota stated awkwardly.

"Hmm…" the mom spent some time looking before announcing, "Alright. I trust your honesty. Just… may you guys leave your backpacks down here?"

"Oh, sure…" Dakota agreed.

"It's normal thing," Gretchen stated.

After leaving their backpacks behind, they walked on the stair with cautious that the cautious mom might be up to something.

Or it was just their imagination trying to convince them so.

"Are you sure this will be okay?" Dakota whispered. "What about photos and stuffs in there?"

"Don't worry. We don't really need those," Gretchen informed. "The hardest part is where we have to convince that young girl… Amanda, right…"

"Is that so…?" he exclaimed.

 **A few minutes later**

"Is that so?" Amanda was sitting on a chair while Dakota and Gretchen were sitting on her bed. The talk was normal enough.

Despite having been informed so sudden, Amanda remained calm and gave herself a nice sip of chocolate tea.

"There are two problems about this though: how I can trust you guys, and what this has to do with me and Milo?"

"We know," Gretchen stated. "We thought it wouldn't be a piece of cake to be settled, although Dakota is eating one."

"Cool! These cookies taste good!" Dakota said. "Anyway, we're from the future, and we know that you and Milo will have a big step in your relationship. Believe it!"

"Well, how can I?" Amanda asked.

"Look at my phone, see," Dakota showed her a few pictures of him, Cavendish and Milo stored on his phone. "See, this is when we time-travelled. And we fought pistachions. Destroyed them. Then we time-travelled again. We fought pistachions. Destroyed them. Then we-"

Amanda looked a bit skeptical, "Yeah, yeah, I can see the pattern. You guys should know that it's rude to interfere to others' relation-"

She then turned to look at one picture that touched her. She wondered if it was real or someone photoshopped it.

The scene was unmaginable too.

They held hands and walked inside the park.

Amanda just sat there like a rock. Dakota noticed something wrong and turned the phone to look at it when he saw…

"AAH! Wait, where does this come from?" Dakota screamed, then realized. "Oh wait, I must have taken this one, hehe."

"Man, Dakota!" Gretchen hissed. "How can you let her see that? You're spoiling her future."

"What?! It's not directly _my_ fault!" he defended himself.

"Then whose fault do you think it is?" Gretchen yelled.

"Guys…"

They stopped arguing and turned to look at Amanda after her small whisper. She faced with the ground and told them shyly.

"If…if what you guys said is true, then tell me, when will that picture be taken in the future?" she asked.

Dakota raised an eyebrow. He orginally didn't want to bring that picture up. But then, he just needed to find a way to roll with it.

"Oh this? Well, in three months, in the summer," Dakota said.

"I see…"

She thought that the picture would be real, given that the photoshopping odds were very slim. With that, what those two had said to her would likely be the truth.

"It's just that… I had a hard time to give Milo a chocolate cake today," Amanda told them a story back to the past morning. "It's Valentine's Day, so I think I can give something to him."

She looked up to them with a proud smile.

"…to show him how grateful I am for all of his help. And this day… I think… I have done something big. The day I can say out my true feelings with ease because you know what day it's. If it turns out well, we can be a thing. If not…"

Dakota shook his head and chuckled, "My, that was most kid's mindset these day, wasn't it?"

The man reached to Amanda and held her shoulder, "Amanda, love isn't just a one-day matter. Valentine's Day… February 14th, why not February 15th. Why not Valentine's Day in Halloween, or even Valentine's Christmas, or why don't we celebrate it on the first day of the year?

True love comes from appreciation to each other, you're right… but it's also about how much hard work you make to maintain the relationship."

The man continued. He was sure that he would never be any more convincable than that day, "Even three months later, you guys… do have a point but it's still a long way to go."

"We apologize to interfere to your relationship, but it's matter to the future of you guys. For all of us, as well," Gretchen said. "Right now, it's your choice to believe us or not.

And besides… if you do write a letter to him, I'm sure someone will know how close you guys will have been," Gretchen convinced her.

It took a moment for Amanda to consider. As far as she could tell, they were not as bad as she thought they were. They were kind enough to make an effort to convince her instead of just saying it willy-nilly.

And Dakota was right. She had to put more effort into her relationship instead of just appreciation.

"I need courage," Amanda joklngly determined.

"This picture, right?" Dakota gave it to her.

After staring at it for a few moments, she said, "Count me in! What should I do?"

" _Wow… can't believe that stupid picture saves us... Oh well…"_ Gretchen smiled before giving her a guiding notebook. "Here. I have written everything you need to do in this."

"So do I have to prepare now?" Amanda questioned.

"Nah, you don't have to. There are timestamps for events, and according to it, you have plenty of time to prepare," Gretchen said

"Good luck, Amanda," Dakota cheered her.

* * *

 **Again, back to the present.**

"And that's why I gave you a trip," Amanda stated. "Still, I don't really know who can possibly see that though."

"You mean someone might have seen us hugging?" Milo said, which Amanda nodded.

"Wow, never thought the Valentine's Day could be that long," the boy exclaimed. "Anyway, we should be going. Everyone must be worried."

"Yeah… But how can we get through this mess?" the girl wished. "Oh, if only there was a way that path was opened and the trees were healed."

"That's really kind of you, Amanda."

"Thank you."

However, they were surprised after seeing that one path was repaired itself like nothing happened.

And to think Amanda's wish might have been come true.

Milo gasped, "Wait, maybe that aura thing helped us! How about wishing to put this big fire out."

"Yeah but… not that I complain, but my aura is now weaker," Amanda informed. "And the path I healed may get burned again soon."

She then noticed they were holding hands again, "And it's fun that we didn't even know when our hands had joined."

"Heh?" Milo then realized that. He understood why she had been bothering about the bond and the aura thing. "It connects us together right? But even without these, we will still be together, right?"

"Honestly… I'm not sure…" Amanda whispered.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Remember the flashback I told you?" the girl said. "Dakota said to me once that… love is not just in one story.

It's not like a prince and a princess in those tales. For us… even if we have come for a long way… our days are still young."

"Hmm…" Milo exclaimed. "Maybe Dakota is right. But I know that we'll be together, no matter how things will be right?"

"Yeah, obviously!" Amanda agreed. "If it's okay… how about making sure that we stay together after this aura thing disappears?"

The Murphy boy looked around. He had to hurry but stay as one with the perfectionist, or things would get really messy, "Alright, what do you want us to do?"

"A kiss, then…" Amanda requested.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Murphy house…

Sara was watching the episode 400 of Doctor Zone in the living room. Brigette had just finished the final touch of her laundry. Her hands were kind of slipping and she didn't want to cause any trouble to Martin who was repairing the ceiling fan (more like having bought a new one before breaking and then fixing it).

"Sara! Can you bring the basket upstairs? My hands are kind of busy!" Brigette called her.

"In a minute!" Sara exclaimed. She was seeing the most important scene of the whole episode.

" _Well, Time Ape, look around us," Doctor Zone stated. "We are being surrounded by these nut octo-monsters, and now look at us! We're protected by the time aura!_

 _Now no one can kill us now!"_

"Invicible!" Sara exclaimed. Suddenly, the blackout occurred, much to her dismay.

"Crap! Not now!" the teenage girl groaned.

"Behave, Sara! No choice but to help me now, don't you?" Brigette called her again.

"Yes, mom…"

"Uh… help, guys? How am I supposed to climb down if I don't see anything," Martin said.

* * *

Richard thought it would be easy to just enter to the centre of the park. But the more he went deeper, the harder he found a way to get in.

He ran deeper into the trees, but he knew very well that he could trip over somewhere, or even a tree might collapse on him.

"Damn it! It's like a fire barrier in the middle of park," Richard complained.

Richard then coughed. It reminded him that he had stayed in there without oxygen for a bit long.

He usually puts a mask somewhere in his pocket, but that day…

"Where is it…?"

He coughed for air again. The man couldn't get up anymore. He stood with hands and feet on the ground. He could sense the burn in his eyes. The feet of his worn out for running too much.

"It… it can't be," he exclaimed. "I can't… be defeated… right now!"

Meanwhile, from another direction, somehow Gretchen and Dakota found themselves in a circle of fire as well.

"Find out a way to get through this, Gretchen?" Dakota feared.

"Don't ask me. Can't you see the fire never stops?" Gretchen exclaimed.

"Yeah but… we have to do something," the man said.

"I know…but it looks like _we're_ the one in danger now!" the dull woman exclaimed.

* * *

Milo and Amanda sighed before facing each other with a gentle smile. They know they will do anything to save everyone, even if it costs a time bond.

" _It was downright annoying too. Because of it, I have to sleep in Milo's room for a night,"_ Amanda thought. _"We will be together for who we are!"_

" _I guess that gained time had something to do with this bond. It feels forced,"_ Milo said in his mind. _"I just want to talk with her, to help her, to be with her like usual."_

They then joined all of their hands together. They both leaned closer to each other. Even without the aura, their hands would still be there and joined.

"Let it be gone…" Amanda stated.

The boy nodded happily, "Hold my hand tight!"

After that, they both said their wishes out; each had a sentence to tell.

"If only, there was some way that this fire could be put out by this bond," Amanda said.

"Thanks for all the care of the time bond, but it would be unnatural to keep it like this in the future," Milo followed.

"We know that love takes a long path and it can't be defined in just one story."

"If we don't sneak into each other's heart and feel one with them, that's downright forced romance."

"So we join hands, literally, to put out this fire, and save everyone."

"And to make sure that no matter what it takes."

"Or no matter how serious the problem will be up ahead."

"Or even if it takes another time-travel shenanigan."

"We would still stay with each other…"

"…because… we're meant to be."

"Forever!" both exclaimed.

After having said their wishes, both of them immidiately joined for a kiss. A sensual one, but with the genuine care and love they gave to each other. They could feel the admittedly pleasure they had in mind.

They couldn't see it directly, but have already been aware of the aura spreading out from them. It soon covered the entire park, as they had wished for.

* * *

Gretchen shut her eyes in fear, "Any last words, Dakota?"

"Uh…" Dakota struggled to think of any of it, until he said, "Oh, look! Miracle happens!"

"Miracle happens? Is that all you can say…" and much to Gretchen's surprise, he was right.

The circle of fire around them soon died down. The scene seemed to be beautifying itself. Trees eventually healed themselves like nothing happened. It was at that point, they could walk around easily.

"Strange… the firemen hasn't come yet. And the fire has put out itself?" Dakota stated.

"Right…" Gretchen couldn't do anything else but agree. _"It must have been their bond. Without a doubt."_

The woman exhaled comfortably before commanding Dakota, "What a relief… Now let's find those two!"

"Right…" Dakota grinned. "just now scaredy cat."

That comment made Gretchen accurately pinch on his head.

Meanwhile, Richard had finally been free from the fire. He immidiately lied down and breathed constantly.

"Oh… beloved air… I somehow, survive?"

The fireman then thought of something he forgot, but he had to do it.

Dink! "Oh no! Milo and Amanda! They need rescuing, fast!"

* * *

Feeling a bit of sufficated, they both released each other before falling on the ground. The process seemed to take plenty of their energy. They closed their eyes, however, they smiled happily as if they were dreaming of something cute.

A dream comes true had just happened to them. The best dream of all the dreams.

Nothing serious happened to them. It felt like they needed to take a nap of their own.

Dakota, Gretchen and also Richard finally reached to the park. They found one sleeping away from another.

And all of them first thought that they had been unconscious.

"Woah… rescue them now?" Dakota asked Richard.

"No, man. They're just sleeping! Even I find that weird," Richard dropped his jaws.

"Things have worked out pretty well, don't ya think?" Gretchen stated. _"And we were about to save them. But…_

 _Ironically…_

 _They were the one who saved us."_

Everyone later entered the park with amazement. Kids cheered after the park had been fully recovered. Their camping stuffs were still there as well.

Adults were perplexed by how the fire was put out without any help of the fireman, professionals or so. Feel sorry if the logic had been broken which had wasted your own time.

* * *

"Milo."

"Amanda."

Both Milo and Amanda heard their names called. They opened their eyes, only to meet Dakota, Gretchen, Richard and the bright sky in front of their eyes.

Milo, who got up first, asked, "Wait… Gretchen, Dakota, Mr. Chase? Why are you guys here?"

"To give you two a thank you," Richard said.

"Really?" Amanda exclaimed. "And how do you know what we were doing?"

The girl turned to look Milo, "Don't tell me that he…"

"When we came, we saw you guys sleeping. Must have been a tired day, right?" Gretchen asked.

"Uh…" both of them chuckled. They just assumed that no one saw that secret kiss.

"I guess… but what she meant was how you guys know we have saved the park," Milo explained.

"Well, look around you, kid."

Both of them held their hands and stood up (they were still a bit tired though). Around them, the kids were playing. Some were cheering for something. Others were doing camps like usual.

Grulinda organized the events again.

 **Camping Day 4 begins.**

"Gosh, and I thought everyone would be a little bit bummed out after the whole disaster," Amanda smiled.

"It's summer, Amanda! The spirit of summer!" Milo cheered with both of his hands raising up. At that point, Amanda realized that their hands joined again.

" _Hasn't the bond been over with?"_ Amanda puzzled. _"Never mind that. It feels more natural when things are back to normal..."_

Milo stepped back but he suddenly tripped on an edge of the grand water fountain and fell in it. His hand holding Amanda's was the cause she was dragged into the water as well.

"It's too soon to have a swim, you two!" Richard said jokingly and the adults laughed.

Amanda groaned. Being wet was a little unexpected, "Milo!"

She splashed a big wave of water on him while Milo was laughing defensively, "I'm sorry…"

"… _and a bit of the unexpected."_ Amanda giggled to herself, much to Milo's curious.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" but he wasn't convinced as Amanda kept giggling on the way.

And that was that. The scheme of the evil had been put off. 'Most of' everyone were back to be cheerful under the sun of summer.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally, Milo and Amanda had got that wildfire over with. This chapter takes really long to write because I want to make it a perfect ending before we get to the REAL ending. And that being said, Chapter 20 is coming out soon! Share your thoughts after reading this! Thank you for sticking along and I'll see you next time!**

 **Also, Happy New Year 2020!**


	20. Time For A New Start

Inside 'the outdated lemon' of Cavendish and Dakota, they were giving Gretchen, Richard, Milo and Amanda a ride to the hospital. The fun of the camping day had to be put aside because of the concern for Zack's injury.

"Poor guy. Hope he's okay," Amanda wished.

"Yeah…" Milo nodded sadly. "He's a great friend of mine. I don't want anything to happen to him."

"I'm sure he will be fine," Richard stated. "After all, he saved Melissa. Probably."

Meanwhile, Dakota and Gretchen were looking outside the road. They were amazed by how smoothly Cavendish could drive then.

"It's been forever since you drove this fast, Cavendish," Dakota commented.

Cavendish grinned, "I'm in the mood for fast driving today. Tighten your seatbelts!"

"Or is it because you have a destiny date?" Gretchen teased.

"I don't!" Cavendish yelled. "It's none of your concern… after this ride."

"Oh, I get it now. You don't want to reveal it right now," Dakota elbowed him.

"Maybe after the ride, we can have your date's number," Gretchen joined the teasing game.

The British man remained calm, however, "Normally I would kick you guys out of the car. But this is the case that I need you two to go."

"The date, you say?" Gretchen didn't give up.

"Mind you kick us out of the car then?" and so did Dakota.

"Eat dirt and I'd do that," Cavendish still remained calmer than usual, much to the two's surprise.

The wildefire had been put off, but what was up with that attitude of his?

* * *

"Thank you for giving us a ride, Cavendish. We really appreciate that," Richard said.

"It's our appreciation too," Milo and Amanda said in unison.

"Don't mention it. You guys mind if I leave for another mission on the way?" Cavendish asked.

"Already?" Gretchen was surprised. That, combining with her dull expression made the look on her face obviously hilarious.

"You can wait until they finish," Dakota said.

"Nope," the British man said firmly.

Now who is teasing who now.

"Let's go," Cavendish exclaimed before he drove the car away immidiately. Richard and the kids could have wondered why he was in such a hurry but that wasn't their concern anymore.

* * *

The three ran (Richard, Milo and Amanda) ran at fast as they could to the upper floor. Richard went behind though, since he had to fill in a form for Zack – the paitient and also for his daughter who had been staying and looking over him.

Milo and Amanda had been really near to the room.

"101, right?" – "It's here!"

The two was hesistant to open the door. But before they could get their calm back and opened it.

"AAAHHH!"

A scream came from inside. Amanda startled that she fell back, while Milo couldn't dare to touch the handle due to that noise.

"Wh-what was that noise?" Amanda stammered.

"Calm down… Don't think too much about it," Milo whispered.

And…

The noise of shredder.

Milo slammed the door (unintentionally broke it) and screamed, "ZACK! YOU'D BE FINE! IT'S US HERE!"

Amanda looked inside and much to her surprise, no one was there. At least, in her view. She took a look inside and saw Melissa looking at them curiously.

While Zack was paying attention to his phone and lying on his bed, "Hey, this pop-up ad is driving me crazy. It's advertising some kind of horror game."

"Cool graphic," Melissa commented before turning to her two best friends, said hi to them nicely. "Oh, hey Milo, Amanda. Are things okay?"

From that point, Amanda and Milo felt like dumbkopf. Especially Milo, who yelled for nothing.

He sighed in relief. At least his imagination was wrong and his best friend looked safe and sound, "Relieve, I say."

"Looks like we're worried for nothing," Amanda entered the room and Milo followed. "Zack, I heard that you had a back pain. You okay now?"

"Not too worry. I'm fine now. I can walk around, see," Zack quickly jumped out of the bed when he felt the pain again, "Ouch!"

"Zack!" Melissa complained. "Just let your back have a break please. Well, he can't do strong exercises just yet. But this guy is fine for the most part."

"I'm glad…" Milo then asked. "Melissa has been here for a whole night to take care of him. Amazing!"

The orange-haired girl chuckled and kind of blushed, "It was nothing… After all, he had done a lot to me."

Melissa indirectly mentioned the moment when Zack saved her from the falling tree.

"He was in a lumberjack-themed boyband after all. So… he might have chopped your heart," Milo teased.

"I wouldn't call it like that, please," Melissa argued.

Amanda giggled while Zack smiled awkwardly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cavendish was still driving the two curious souls (Gretchen and Dakota) on a big road.

Big road! Cavendish had never driven on that kind of path before.

"So… your date is in a restaurant?" Dakota questioned.

"Hold on!" Cavendish pulled the lever to the time-travel mode. A portal appeared and sucked the vehicle inside, much to the confusion of the driver of a car behind them.

"What was that just now?" Mitchell raised an eyebrow.

* * *

Gretchen and Dakota felt mostly surprised with what is called a sudden entrance to the time-space continuum. They asked themselves how come they hadn't known anything about it.

"Been quite a long time. How do you like to be time-travelling again, Gretchen?" Dakota questioned.

"Those green-violet paint… Cavendish, why do you take us here by the way?" Gretchen turned to ask Cavendish boringly.

" _I guess she can totally be herself when there's just me,"_ Dakota had an awkward thought.

"Very well," Cavendish then got off the driving seat and told them. "Since this time-travelling trip has hooked you two, I need you two to listen to what I'm about to do."

"Uh-huh," Dakota nodded.

"Things get messier again, don't they?" Gretchen exclaimed.

"Yes. 'The date' that you mention over and over is actually Mr. Block," Cavendish informed.

"Mr. Block?" Gretchen exclaimed.

"That dummy old guy?" Dakota added.

Cavendish then got straight to the point, "I mean, I don't know the reason why or how, but I got myself to collect all of the data about Milo and Amanda. Their relationship, their bond, I record every single one of them."

"Every single one of them?" Dakota raised an eyebrow before whispering to Gretchen. "So _that_ happened after we were trapped in that dark world."

"But what makes you do that anyway? There must be a reason, am I right?" Gretchen asked.

Cavendish then took out his phone and searched for a photo that he had taken, "See, they are hugging. And those weird auras are coming from them."

"Woah… beautiful…" Dakota exclaimed.

"So this is their bond," Gretchen finally saw it in front of her very own eyes. _"The bond that saved all of us we're talking about. It explains why we escaped Time Bureau in a flash. And maybe more, that I hadn't been aware of yet."_

"Since that moment, I had been collecting every single details about its origin, its method, even the cause of it, which is Mr. Block that I had been finding all the time," Cavendish stated.

"Seriously, every single one?" Gretchen raised an eyebrow. _"There's no way he could collect it all. Or is it? There's no way of knowing what he could do while we were being trapped in that dark world."_

And Cavendish kept explaining. There was some of details which she had already been aware off, but the man also pointed out a few more interesting stuffs.

Stuffs that she had never realized until then.

"The name of it is scary…" Dakota exclaimed.

"I didn't know the true bond had some kind of a name like that," Gretchen said. _"So much for doubting him. He has already known very deep."_

"So in short, the name would be like it or so, but calling it "The Time Bond," or "Him," would be less scarier," Cavendish presented.

"Jar!" Dakota teased him by giving him fine for 'Anthropamorphisizing phenomenon." A kind of tradition they had recently developed.

"Anyway, come closer. I'll assign each of you what to do," the British man turned behind but he found it a bit struggling, "Ugh, this stupidly small vehicle."

"So here's the plan…" and his voice turned down to the level that only Dakota and Gretchen, who were listening with all of their ears and heads, could listen,

After having discussed it, Cavendish motivated them but Dakota seemed a little bit nervous, Gretchen was kind of doubtful.

"Uh… are you sure you want to do this to him?" Dakota concerned.

"Yeah, the plan might be backfired too, ya know," Gretchen warned.

"Not too concerned, hehe. My plan is foolproof!" Cavendish still remained which might be his brightest smile on the face, and also might be his biggest confidence ever.

Things might get interesting.

* * *

 **2175, Block's office**

It had just been recently since Mr. Block and the gang finally came back to the future – their own time. Also not too long ago, the gang decided to withdraw while thinking of a better plan for the kidnap.

Until then, the Block guy seemed to have lost all of the steam from yesterday. He groaned and groaned like forever. The new day had just started but he felt he could immidiately ask for a day off.

"Come on…" the man groaned to himself. He finally reached to the sofa put in the middle of room and lied on it. "I'm just withdrawing. Why does the body treat me this cruelly?"

He continued thinking, "But… come to think of it, I'm tired because I'm not sastified. Yes, that must be it!

Until I find out the answer, there's no way I won't-"

"You… don't need to find anything, boss," the man then heard a feminine voice he had already got tired of hearing. It interested him because of the seriousness she gave out. "All of your plans will be foiled by all of us, today!"

Block turned his head around and saw Gretchen and Dakota looking at him furiously.

He stepped back in fear. He immidiately thought that they would put a revenge on him for having put them to the black-and-white world.

He stepped back slowly. He could feel the two drawing themselves nearer to him.

"Block, we need to tell you something," Dakota informed him seriously. "You don't have to be scared of us."

"No! Stay away! Why shouldn't I?" Block then complained. "You two are the people I don't ever want to meet again… Ugh, how unfortunate I am!"

"There's no point of leaving if you don't tell us the reason," Gretchen grabbed his collar and ranted angrily at him. "Just why? WHY? WHY, TELL ME?!"

"Uh… Gretchen, can you… I'm a little sufficated…" Block muttered.

"Well yeah? Sufficating for 60 seconds, that's for sure!" the woman yelled. "And how can it be compared to two weeks of your tension that you put on us?!...

Also, not only us, but even Milo and Amanda, and the other kids. They have nothing to do with our jobs, ya know," her rant then combined with tears dropping. "All this time, if you want to know the reason, why don't you just ask it?"

"LIKE HELL CAN I DO IT!" Block suddenly roared and used his force to push Gretchen away from him. She lost her balance, but Dakota saved her in time.

"So you're nothing but coward!" Gretchen said.

"YES, CALL ME THAT!" Block then told her. "In terms of my attitude towards Cavendish and Dakota…"

At that point, Block turned away from the two. Gretchen got up and breathed heavily. She was still angry at him though (even angrier after he made that push). Dakota looked worried for him, however.

He told them. "Those two… they failed… they laughed despite having failed. They failed again… They VIOLATED THE RULES! They were JERKS!"

"Why you…" Gretchen started to move but Dakota prevented her and shook his head, whispering. "You should let him say it out."

"Appreciate that, Dakota," Block commented. "And I was always thinking that they were useless, pathetic and they always failed because of that. But… then a long time ago, I caught my eyes on a journal named 'My Journal' and I didn't know who has written that. That was when I met the most surprising fact ever."

* * *

 _One time, inside Cavendish and Dakota's office…_

 _Somehow Mr. Block had found himself inside of their room. There was neither Cavendish nor Dakota's appearance, and he excused himself from finding something suspicious from the two._

 _He frankly did not know where to start and what to find. Until he found one small notebook on Cavendish's desk, he started to get his hope up._

" _A journal?" Mr. Block smiled proudly at himself. "HAHA! At long last, I can use this as proof to easily find out what those two did wrong."_

" _Intriguing, ah…" he then opened the journal._

 _Give it a pause._

 _He widened his eyes. The first three pages were full of pictures. Captions were kind of small, but that didn't mean it wasn't readable. It said that the pictures had been taken after some… pistachion fight._

" _A pistachion fight?" Mr. Block raised his eyebrows._

 _Another caption said they took some pictures with local kids. Two of them were genius inventors, another one was a Murphy boy and his two brave friends._

" _So this is… Milo Murphy… that those two were talking about…"_

 _One picture only had Cavendish and Dakota themselves in it, but written next to it was the 'thank you' from friends of theirs._

" _Cavendish, Dakota, thanks for being a part of our adventure" - Zack and Melissa._

" _Who knows an accident from the living pistachio can be dangerous and exciting" - Milo Murphy._

 _And the last line shocked him the most._

" _Cavendish and Dakota save the day, baby. Heroes that you can count on!" – Doof Doof, 'your future Professor Time.'_

" _Hold up! Professor Time wrote this line?!" Block said to himself. "The great, almighty creator of time travel said those nutguards heroes?"_

 _To him, that never made any sense. For a long time, he had been viewing them as the lowest of the low government agents. They constantly claimed themselves as a world rescuer and he never believed it._

 _Block put his hands on the table and complained, "Those two… They're wrong! And I did the right thing! But why…?They are praised while… I'm here, being jealous."_

 _His hands slowly made two fists and he slammed them on the table._

" _Why… THEY?!"_

* * *

"They're more than what you view them, Block," said Gretchen. She smirked as a way to kind of blame him. "That's what you get for not understanding their true power."

"Say what you want, Gretchen," Block roared and still shivered. "But I couldn't just sit there and wait to hear them say 'Oh, Mr. Block, we have saved the Loch Ness monster and violated a few time-travel rules.' I will not allow that."

"Now that you mention it, you did care about us more than you think," Dakota stated.

"No… never I did. I was just desperately trying to find the source of your violation, the truth behind all the stories which I believed they were fake…"

"…and you said once that you would never waste a single second to our bodies," Dakota interrupted. "Think about it. If you hate us violating the rules so bad, you would never find out why in the first place. Instead, you chose to find out the reason for us. Admittedly that you did it because of your hatred, b-but in a way, you just want to find out more about us."

Block widened his eyes and looked at Dakota. Dakota was being calm while he was talking to him, which gave the boss a bit of surprise.

"So you're… defending for me? That I actually care for you?" Block stammered in a gross tone.

"Yes, it's your credit. I appreciate that," Dakota smiled.

"THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN FOR SURE!" Block stated loudly.

The disco guy sighed, "And that's why… we come here. The one who cares for us and always finds a way to know us truth, with such large-scale schemes… this isn't you, Nicholas Block. It's worth it to just hear you mocking us time and time again."

"We come here to help you. Even if it's a pain that you may underappreciate me like you used to," Gretchen smiled. Might as well be one of her most prettiest smiles.

"Wait, what? Now you're confusing me," Block exclaimed. "I thought you two come here for revenge. Admit it, your lives will be even better off without me. So why do you help me?"

"Ahem…" a voice was heard from outside the room. Block immidiately knew whose voice that could be. Gretchen and Dakota glanced and nodded.

The 'today's special person' would come in any seconds.

There he went…

"Kooperdink… I mean, Cavendish!?" Block was sweating more and more. He had been scaring for revenge, now he was confused as heck. He wished someone explaining to him what was going on.

"Pardon me for interrupting but this is the resource than can bring down your entire career as a head of this time-travel agency."

Cavendish then entered while pushing a board inside. One of the sides of the table contained information the British guy had collected during the time Dakota and Gretchen in you-know-where.

"Excuse me? Are you saying that you thwart me down?! HOW DARE YOU?" Block angered.

"No… not me…" Cavendish gave him a cocky smile. "But rather, you have thwarted yourself."

Cavendish then slowly turned the table around about 90 degrees.

Block was shocked again,

The thing in front of him would have been familiar that weird if he had seen those detective and investigation stories. They have some scenes of a person brainstorming a way to solve a case by taking all of the pictures they can get before pinning it on the table. And let us not forget those red wires. One picture from one event may connect to another, and it took sometime to make a network, the detective will solve the case and so…

And Cavendish's board was just like that. He explained, "Pretty surprising, aren't you?"

"How…? Collecting all of these? I see… Amanda, Milo… and also my gang? Just… how?" his tone now transformed into fear and terror.

"Honestly, we were kind of surprised in the first place," Gretchen stated.

"Like she said, Block. Like Cavendish said," Dakota paused. "Like what I said just a few seconds ago."

"You thwarted yourself, Mr. Block," Cavendish said to him. "Right after when you erased Dakota and Gretchen from the timeline, my motivation changed. I was orginally looking for Dakota and Gretchen until I saw the kids – Milo and Amanda – hugging and forming a weird aura around them. The exact minute, the exact second, the exact moment, I changed my motivation from finding Gretchen and Milo, to looking for information about Milo and Amanda."

"If that was your motivation then how would that help?" Block questioned.

"Heh," Cavendish chuckled. "It's obvious that you don't know. Back to the story, I took a picture of them, which you could see it right here… the one in the centre, can't miss it. After that, I watched some kind of live convention about an episode of Doctor …John or so? And I was told by Milo's dad that they were in a camping trip in a park. So I went there, took some more pictures, and also found out that _you_ were there also. I have labeled some titles in corners, and which photos belong to which corner, see?"

He presented, "Camping Day 1. Camping Day 2. Camping Day 3. Disaster in Full Force. I swear, I named this all by myself. The author gladly accepted it."

I'm flattered- Oh wait, I shouldn't be here.

Let's… continue.

"I figured out your plan on the way and you didn't have a single clue about it. Your plan was to use Milo and Amanda, who have been a great companion of us… well, Amanda is Milo's girlfriend so she's our companion too, to force them to tell you the reason of us helping them."

"You know that I couldn't ask you directly! It's your dirty boss here, duh? You won't tell me about that anyway," Mr. Block hissed, feeling relief that he had got something to shot back.

"I would tell. You were just too embarassing," Cavendish teased.

"I WILL NEVER DO THAT IN MY LIFE. What would the system be?" Block roared.

"Then explain about the plan to torture them," the British man demanded. "If you simply just wanted an answer about our condition, why would you have to go _that_ far?"

"Because that's my way of working!" Block defended himself. "Me and my gang work this way to interrogate someone."

"I see…" Cavendish nodded, then continued asking. "Then explain to me about that fire. Is it your plan to burn them in the fire?"

"WHAT?! What are you talking about? I wasn't burning them! It wasn't my fault in the first place."

"But you left them behind and ran away with your gang due to being afraid someone might doubt you guys," he explained calmly. "If that's the case, won't this be labeled as 'murder'… like people say?"

"…I have no idea what you're talking about… You three are quite annoying today," Block turned his vision away from them. "If you're done then I'm leaving-"

"…and if you're thinking of leaving, I can file this to the supreme tribunal. Don't you think they should be surprised and fumed after seeing this board I'm having?" Cavendish gave him a threat.

"Like I'm afraid of that threat," it was a lie that Block made. "You… won't even have access to contact to them."

"Like hell we give up," Gretchen and Dakota knuckled. She said, "It's best to use force in this time being. They'll soon know the truth. And the whole agency is going to be a big mess crowd. 'Mess' transforms into 'Disastrous.' Imagine that 'beautiful scene'."

"You dare?"

"TRY US!?" Gretchen, Dakota and Cavendish yelled at him in unison.

"Waah!" Block used his fist to punch Cavendish. He startled but quickly dodged the move.

Cavendish stated, "Wow, never knew he could be this fierce."

"I'm not the toy to be playing around. Make me understand, why all of this?!" he launched into the three and used all of the moves he learned a long time ago.

"Judo? When did you learn that?" Dakota raised his eyebrows.

"Glad you ask. Sadly, you three have to win against me first," Block grinned. "I don't think you will though."

"Seriously? We just want to help you! Don't make this any harder!" Gretchen said.

"YOU'RE THE ONE TO TALK!" Block yelled. "Now… I bet your Judo skill combined won't even have a chance to push me down."

Gretchen looked concernedly to Dakota and Cavendish who was standing behind her. However, both ot their reassuring smiles gave her confidence. She knew that they were being by her sides and that was important.

"True, our Judo skill can't stand a chance. But you… lack of TEAMWORK!" Gretchen stated confidently.

"Yeah!" Dakota and Cavendish exclaimed.

"That's the spirit…" Block said with a gross tone.

Their intense battle was about to start. Suddenly…

They heard the noise coming from a rocket engine. It was getting louder and louder as if a vehicle was going to crash into Block's office anytime soon. Some scream was heard as well.

A flying time vehicle smashed through the wall and two people fell out from it.

"Ouch, ouch…" Milo rubbed his forehead before judging Doofenshmirtz. "I told you to just walk in like normal people. Crashing through the wall is dangerous, isn't it?"

"I don't care as long as it's fun," Doof stated. He looked around and much to his amaze… "Oh my, what do we have here? A combat battle. And look! There are Caventa and Dakodish."

"…Cavendish and Dakota?" Dakota rolled his eyes while Gretchen seemed to find it a bit amusing.

"It's you again! The not-yet-Professor-Time!" Cavendish exclaimed.

"The one and no one else!" Doof stood proudly. "Your not-yet-Professor-Time, along with my trusty sidekicks, Cavendish and Dakota, who have been by my sides for many battles and hardships, are fighting for justice!"

"Yeah!" both men exclaimed.

"…or basically anything that you're fighting for," Doof added unimpressively.

"No way…" Gretchen looked him with amaze. "But… how do you know to come here?"

"Milo informed me back in the hopsital that Cavendish and Dakota were at their mission. I thought I could give them some help with my new TIME-TRAVEL INATOOOR, so… here I am," Doof said.

"No freaking way! Unbelievable!" Block exclaimed. "You don't fool me, do you? You're the actual Professor Time?!"

"Well, duh!" Doof informed. "I have journals and everything. I even put pictures in there before throwing it to the publisher. Well, not exactly 'throwing' but it's the right word for that situation when we forced him to make it."

"Oh, right, the journal," he took out the old pamphlet he used to look at and by comparing the appearance in the picture and the one in real life, it was true that 'the one' had appeared in front of him, "I can't believe it! The idol of my whole life!"

Block's mood changed for 180 degrees, much to Gretchen's groan.

"Um… Mr. Professor Time not yet. Uh…" Block stammered while trying to bride Doof. "I'm not asking for anything special. Just uh… we're kind of in the middle of something here… uh… so can you just… scooch aside for a little bit? Uh… Not that I mind you or anything but… if you can give me an autograph."

"No! Heck no!" Cavendish exclaimed. "Professor Time is in our side. You don't have the right to tell him to do what you want."

"Yes…" Gretchen gazed at Doof adorably. "But if we weren't in a battle, I would have an autograph, or maybe a photo."

"Not now, Gretchen…" Dakota snapped her out.

"Guys, are we fighting? Because it's no good to fight each other," Milo intefered. "I know that you all can't control your temper any longer and I know that this guy named Block… has done wrong things…"

"You are annoying, Milo Murphy!" Block stated. "You shouldn't even be here in my office with your Murphy's Law!"

"…and you're annoying too. But the thing is we should discuss to find a way to solve this, not fight each other."

"What do you know, Murphy kid?" the old man leered at him. "You don't know everything. They had broken many time-travel rules and caused disaster everywhere. It was my job to monitor them. But… I don't know why they are still able to time travel."

"Uh… duh!" Doof called the attention to himself. "I'm the father of time travel ya know. You control the rules, but don't really know the rules, right? You banned two people from time-travelling in a vehicle. There are two holes in that rule: other people can replace them doing their time travel job, this should be a piece of cake. And what you don't know is that I can make another vehicle for them. That exact prototype is easy to make since it's just… outdated lemon."

"You… the almighty Professor Time… helped them?!" Block was shocked.

"Check out the journal thing again…" Doof sighed. "Man, this guy's memory is terrible."

Block clenched his fists. He looked down, faced the floor in anger, "And here he is… in my office. YOU'RE IN MY OFFICE! Even so, you should stand a little bit to my side, Mr. Professor Time!"

"Now hold it right there!" Doof stood out firmly before saying his speech. "I'm not technically standing to anyone's side. Beside, the Professor Time thing is just a title. My name is Heinz Doofenshmirtz, and I invented time-travel, inspired by Cavendish and Dakota here, to bring peace to this world. To understand. To heal us when needed. Like this pal Dakota having saved Cavendish plenty of times. Technically, they broke the rules but they didn't do anything wrong. Dakota just wanted to save his best partner. Although I might say, you're a bit unlucky, Cavendish. Also, many of their adventures have managed to save the world."

Cavendish chuckled, "I can't explain that for myself, either."

"And… time-travel isn't made to be joking around. We all have done something wrong. I won't say Cavendish and Dakota have been using clean time-travel all the time. You, Nicholas Block, what you have done with your employees is acceptable, but it's wrong to go that far. That being said, the Professor Time only stands up to the people who truly understand the meaning of time travel. This is said…" Doof took out from his time machine a weirdly thick and big book. "according to Part A, Section 260, Chapter 2, Line 354, starting from the 45th word counted from the rig…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop! We know! We know!" Cavendish stated. The man then sighed. Dakota spotted this and smiled. Somehow he had got back to his characteristics.

"We know, we know, we have done something wrong. It caused… Mr. Block to do… something wrong as well. Mr. Block?"

"Yes?" Block said with a more serious tone. "I have been hearing clearly. So what do you want now?"

"Nothing. Just want to know… what you think… about that," Dakota said.

"Yeah, yeah," Block said skeptically. "We all have our faults and even though the professor is in the house, he can't stand by my side. But, he does have a point. He's the father of time travel after all. So… what do you want to do?"

Cavendish and Dakota glanced at and nodded to each other before Dakota stepped up and showed him a temporal transporter. He shivered his hand because the move he had prepared for a day could change the whole timeline.

"This… looks familiar? Is this you two's temporal transporter?" Block questioned.

"Yes. It glitched about a week ago, and now it has been fixed. But you may have known what that means…" Dakota closed his eyes while holding the device to the front.

"The timeline… will be reset," Block then turned more confused but this time he tried to remain calm. "…I should have just destroyed it. Just what exactly do you want from this?"

"If this happens…" Dakota then opened the screen. A message and a voice could be heard.

" _THE TIMELINE RESET COUNTDOWN: ACTIVATED._

 _AUTOMATICALLY RESET IN 4 MINUTES_

 _4:00, 3:59, 3:58…"_

The man continued, "…You know you have tried to know too much from us while the real you… never makes an effort to understand us. The real you… will be less danger than the you right now, because Block will never go this far just to investigate us. This timeline shouldn't be existed."

"But… this is better for you? I don't understand!" Block yelled.

Dakota continued from there, "Also, the thing you have done have caused too much trouble for the 2015 Danville. _3:00, 2:59, 2:58…_ And just when you're about to think that things can be healed if you try to be good in this version of your, then what about… Milo and Amanda?"

"Milo… and Amanda?" Block exclaimed.

"Me and Amanda?" Milo said while joining both of his hands together.

"You have interfered into their relationship. Their friendship. Their love!" Dakota's tone grew more serious.

"Careful!" Doof warned but it seemed like Dakota didn't listen one bit.

"They were supposed to have a nice camping trip together but you almost injured them to death. And YOU are the cause of the deep bond. It might have saved them, but it may very well lead them to an uneasy life, _1:31, 1:30, 1:29, 1:28…_ You spoiled their experience, their intimacy that they needed to have. I know this isn't your fault, but you indirectly create their time bond, and if it stays like this… who knows what's worse?"

"So _that's_ the reason why you want to reset the timeline? Heh!" Block chuckled and went crazy for a moment. "They need to shorten their in-between space in their love, where did I do wrong? Keep loving each other baby. And… I have made everyone's life better. Where did I do wrong? I have made your life better, you FOOL!"

"Heh?! Not good…" Doofenshmirtz feared.

"No..." Milo exclaimed. "I have to go there."

"Don't! You stay here!" Doof held his body back. "He is supposed to hit him with the device. If it broke, nothing would be changed but if it didn't break, the timeline would be reset. But I'm not sure the possibility of you getting out there and stop him."

"You even know all the events?" Milo raised his eyebrows. _0:59, 0:58, 0:57, 0:56…_.

"Déjà vu, baby," Doof grinned. "Plus, I somehow have all the data of possibilities in this small microwave, which I have repurposed it into the data restorer."

"But can't we do something more than just wait here?" Milo questioned.

"Not of my knowledge," Doof shook his head.

Hearing Block's disgusting words, Dakota couldn't regulate himself anymore. He swang the temporal transporter up high before yelling, "WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND…?!"

 _0:28, 0:27, 0:26…_

Dakota still kept the device hanging up there while still pinning him on the floor but at any moment, Block knew it could hit him on the forehead. Knowing that his move could break the device, Block even tried to tease him.

"Don't you get it? If you get rid of this boss right now, your life will be totally better. So HIT IT! Show me the best you've got! HIT!"

"You make me so infuriating!" Dakota roared. He knew he couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want to hit him but Block just wanted it desperately.

His hand holding the device started to move down to his forehead. Block shut his eyes and began waiting for the result. Gretchen and Cavendish exclaimed 'No!' in unision but with the system in the room having been damaged by Murphy's Law and it made some unpleasant noise, their warnings were useless.

Milo looked at the scene determinably, "I can't take this anymore."

 _0:20, 0:19, 0:18…_

"No! You can't take risk like this!" then Doof sighed, knowing that he couldn't stop him anymore. " _Although, good luck, pizza delivery kid! I know you can do it!"_

"DO IT!" Block exclaimed.

And just like that, Dakota then used his second hand to hold the device. He had unfortunately reached his limit of being calm.

"Goodbye!" Dakota whispered.

The device slowly got down and almost reached Block's forehead.

Gretchen and Cavendish yelled, "NOOO!"

 _0:05, 0:04…_

Milo ran as fast as he could. Knowing that he only got three seconds left, he decided to make a 50-50 jump while trying to make him stop, "Please stop, Dakota!"

 _0:03, 0:02…_

With that, Milo hit Dakota hard and the man let go of the device. It flew in the air and was about to fall. That wouldn't be good as well.

 _0:01._

"I got it!" Milo stopped him from moving any further by using his arms, and caught the temporal transporter by both of his feet.

Doof sighed in relief.

 _TIMELINE RESET STARTING NOW._

* * *

…

…

…

…

Milo slowly opened his eyes, "AAAAHH!"

He screamed and fell back when the first thing he saw after a while of, he guessed, being unconscious was him standing in front of a mirror.

"That gives me the creep…" he titled his head.

"Milo, are you done? Your friends are waiting for you!" Brigette called him from downstairs.

"I'm coming," Milo quickly rushed downstairs with his usual outfit. _"That's weird… I want to remember something but… I can't. I wonder what time it is now. I have to ask my friends."_

"Ah, Melissa and Zack?" Milo raised his eyebrows after seeing his friends sitting in the living room.

"Oh Milo, your expression is like we have come over to your house for the first time," Melissa chuckled.

"He's just overdoing it," Zack added.

"Guys, uh… I know this is a weird question but… what time is it today?" Milo grinned.

"It's a big deal, Milo," Zack wrapped his arm around his shoulders while slowly revealing. "You have the ticket for a trip to…"

"…your secret crush Amanda's birthday party, my friend! WHOOOO!" Melissa cheered.

"Oh… wow, guys," Milo was happy. He finally knew the time he came back, and also the event he will always remember.

"I am… invited to Amanda's… birthday party."

 _ **THE END ?!**_

 **A/N: There's still the roll credits and it includes a few more additional scenes so stay tune. Just imagine that the characters, voice actors and so are introduced… Stay tune!**

 **And disclaimer: I never own Milo Murphy's Law!**

* * *

 **Scene 1: Inside Melissa's castle (Chap 4)**

Melissa asked, "What were you dreaming about last night?"

Milo was hesistant. He clearly remembered the dream last night, where he had ride Amanda back to his house using her bike.

His friends looked at him quizzically, "Uh hey… Milo?"

"I can see it," Zack stated.

"Really?" Milo widened his eyes.

"Nah, not really. But from the way I see, you must have been dreaming something embarassing," Zack rephrased.

"It's okay, Milo," Amanda comforted him. "Don't get too much pressure. It's just a game after all."

"Just answer the way you want to," Lydia followed.

Milo then took a deep breath. He exhaled and inhaled once before revealing, "Okay so it's kind of funny. I was dreaming of me riding Amanda on the way to my house."

"You think so…" Amanda teased him.

"Well, it's not like romantic or anything! I dreamed my bike was broken so I had to lend her. Amanda uh… wanted to make sure that her bike was fine so she sat behind the bike and like that," Milo defended himself.

"That was a nice dream, wasn't it?" Melissa said.

"Phew… though I'd like it to become reality though," Amanda chuckled.

 **Scene 2: Just about 5 minutes before the dance party (Chap 4)**

Amanda seemed happy about the backpack she had received. Milo was happy for her as well, "It really suits you, Amanda. You must be quite happy."

"You bet I am!" Amanda stated. "And… thanks for your gift."

"My gift? Shuck, it was nothing. I saw that you were having a hard time though, so I gave you those," Milo said. "A sharp pencil and a notebook."

"Pretty symbolic, right?"

"I know."

And so from this point, the adventure of Milo and Amanda went on, but less dramatic, less of inner thoughts from each of them. More of… the enjoyment that they would work hard to give to each other.

 **Scene 3: When Milo gets the baseball back for the kids (Chap 8)**

"What do you want to say more Amanda?" Melissa questioned. "It's not like I don't appreciate the rest of your story but… the whole thing of hanging out with Milo yesterday really interests me."

"Yeah, we're just hanging out like normal friends. Though it's kinda hurt sometimes, like when that brick suddenly came out for no reason and made me tripped over," Amanda informed. "And here's the rest… um well, your dad said tomorrow would be a day off right?"

"Yep," Melissa confirmed by nodding. "Then he will inform us something later that day."

"Uh so… Milo has told me about a plan of his. He invited us to go the cinema. Not sure if he has precaution for Murphy's Law, but I bet it will be fun," Amanda revealed.

"Really? What's the movie?" Zack questioned.

"Incredibles 2," Amanda said. "Oh, I love the first part and I think this will be a great follow-up!"

Meanwhile, Milo had just finished finding the ball.

"Here's your ball," Milo gave it to the boy whose role is throwing the ball in the game.

"Thanks, big guy! Say, can you stay for a little bit?" the boy offered.

"Why of course!"

"Bring your ear closer," the boy whispered to his ear. "You're actually my idol."

"Oh, really?" Milo seemed to be delighted by this comment.

"Hey! What's taking you so long with that senpai?" the boy holding the bat asked.

"Yeah! What is up with you two?!" another boy wearing the glove and catching the ball whenever the launcher misses the ball said.

"I know! Just wait for a few moments, guys," let's just call this guy the cap-wearing boy and he idolizes Milo.

"Okay!" both of his friends exclaimed and thumbed-up, much to the cap-wearing boy's relief. Such good friends…

"Thanks for your adoration. What's your name?" Milo asked.

"Mike! Call me Mike!" Mike said.

"Alright, Mike, is it?"

"You can go now," Mike then shoved Milo away from him a little bit. "It's kind of shy to meet my idol without preparing but… I'm pretty much looking forward to our adventure, Milo!" His eyes sparkled with stars, which I believe can never happen in real life. "You're an awesome person when it comes to Murphy's Law! Ooooh, how much I want to be in your life!"

Milo blushed a little bit. He didn't know that a Murphy like him could have a fan. He then smiled and rubbed his hair, "I'm not sure when we will meet again but… I'm looking forward to it too!"

"Give me your number!" Mike requested.

"Okay!"

"And your autograph. And can I take a picture with you? And can you message me just to make sure that we can really contact to each other?"

 **Scene 4: Camping Day 5**

Before we get to the Camping Day 5, I'm gonna state that Richard and his students' camping trip had been doing well. No interruptions, no sudden change of plans occurred. Murphy's Law occurred though, but who are Milo and his friends that we're talking about anyway?

Many games had been played in the whole camping trip in Hamilton Park. And the one in the morning of Camping Day 5 would be the last one of all.

"Okay, so here's the final contest: 4 x 100 relay marathon!" Grulinda informed. "We have borrowed the road surrounding the park so it would make the contest easier for us…"

Melissa would be the first one to run in her team. She could see the person to her right was none other than…

"Lola? Oh, of course, you guys are here too," Melissa said. "But your team only has three members."

"We don't need 4 members and can still win ya know," Lola stated confidently.

"Talk about confidence… so how do you guys arrange the positions?" the orange-haired girl questioned.

"I run first because I'm weaker. Then Zane comes next because he's strong enough to handle two people in 200 m. Madge will finish us up. How's yours?"

"Well, me first, then Zack, then Amanda and finally Milo," Melissa confessed. "Oh, Amanda and Milo. They're so confident when it comes to this…"

 **Scene 5: Milo, Zack, Melissa and Amanda walk to home together**

"Ahh… what a trip, eh?" Melissa relaxed herself after five days of having fun in the Hamilton Park. "I thought I could relax, but now I'm getting excited of the idea getting back to my house."

"Careful! You might get cramp on the way," Zack teased her before they both laughed. "And this wouldn't be great without your leadership, Milo."

"Oh come on, you know I'm not your leader," Milo humbly stated. "It's all because of your great dedication… and Amanda's strict demands."

"Well excuse me, but I'm not just telling people around," Amanda added. "I have helped you find the precaution for Murphy's Law and pretty much activities, am I right?"

"Can't say that you're wrong," Milo said and chuckled, for which Amanda pushed him slightly.

"Hey, let's all push Milo for no reason," Zack offered and the girls agreed.

Milo already ran ahead and exclaimed before the rest followed him suit.

"Hey, stop him, guys!"

"You can't catch me!" the Murphy boy smiled.

It's clear to us that he enjoys every adventure he's able to be in… We'll get to that later.

Later that night, Milo was about to sleep right on the bed after having dinner. Suddenly, his phone rang and it notified a message from Amanda.

She sent him lots of photos taken from the camping trip. Most of it were all of them doing activities. They were pretty funny too. And there were really amazing shots like all of them jumping that could make them remember their first 5-day activity together forever.

He scrolled slowly and looked each of the picture with enjoyment and happiness, like each picture contains something he can remember of.

And then, he widened his eyes when he saw one picture with Amanda holding Milo's hand: she was leading him to somewhere while he was running from behind willingly.

Milo sent her a question about the picture with only them. Amanda replied that someone she didn't know took that one, and it somehow 'stored' in her phone.

The boy blushed slightly. Although he knew that he liked her and maybe she had grown a like on him too, but he thought that holding hands, or going out with her would really be something new, and exciting for both of them.

He wondered if he could just have that.

Not by any adventure that would push them to romantic relationship, but by just how natural they would find out about each other.

Soon enough… there will be that day.

When this picture will be something he will be remembering of in the future.

He makes sure that somewhere in his mind;

…he will think that… they will be walking together to the place where a minister has been waiting…

Yeah, a part of him just wants to think like that.

Because he can't deny to himself, for now…

…that he loves her.

* * *

 **After Credits**

 **2175…**

"…so that's the story of… my alternative timeline," Milo exclaimed. "Yeah, I knew that I forgot something."

"You forced me to say it though, so I did," Dakota said before he took another bite on his burger.

They were sitting on a bench, talking in a park in the centre of Danville. Not sure if it were the Hamilton Park in the future, but it sure was pretty far from the Time Bureau.

It was afternoon and Dakota thought he could give Milo a ride and had a chat.

"So… does that mean I love Amanda that much?" Milo raised his eyebrows and blushed. "I mean, I have heard this time bond thing before but… did I actually love her that passionately?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Dakota added. "The blame's on the time bond, but it's part of your _actual_ bond as well. And to think of, It just represents your relationship, the one that can't be sliced by any means."

"Well, that makes sense to me now," Milo smiled. It was actually nice for the two men to hang out like this. Actually, a delightful boy and a delightful man… nice people hanging out.

The boy continued, "Anyway, you said that I had caught the temporal transporter in time. But… what if that didn't happen? Wouldn't it be bad?"

"Ah… I might overthink it, it would actually be nothing," Dakota stated. "I just thought that the love like that was weird."

"I know, I get it now!" Milo suddenly stood up and announced confidently. "I'll try to be a good friend of Amanda from now on, and be a good friend that everyone can count on!"

"You already are. Don't push yourself too much, seriously," Dakota chuckled hardly.

* * *

 **2015, a week after Camping Day 5**

 **Inside the Murphy house**

"Ugh, video games are boring too," Melissa seemed to get tired of playing video games in Milo's house.

"Yeah, too much for me either," Zack was in her mood as well.

"Cheer up, guys!" Veronica stated. She was in charge of the house temporarily. "Milo's family is going on a trip to Arizona with Amanda's family. That chance won't come to him twice, ya know? Besides, we're in Milo's house, so LET'S KNOCK OFF OUR ROOF!"

"…but it feels unusual without Milo already," Melissa griped.

"Duh, like how long since he left," Veronica asked a question that she knew better than anyone.

"…three hours…" Zack imitated Melissa.

"…if you do help, please think of a way to have fun without Milo around," Melissa continued her process of groaning.

Meanwhile, from an unknown place where someone was targetting one of the three. They couldn't show the tape, but they had data about the whereabouts of the target they needed.

"So… it's her right? It must be the one we're looking for, at 5512 Druid Dr." a mysterious man who is in his 30s said.

Another man whose voice seems stricter and bolder said, "It's obviously that… Although we won't know until we see her…

…sooon."

* * *

 **A/N: Phew... finally, one truly serious story of mine has come to an end. It takes me a hard labor to write this, but it also has been a really fun ride. Unfortunately, anything must come to an end, and "Hold My Hand" officially ends here with 20 chapters just like I warned you guys about 5 chapters ago...**

 **Though to be honest, I'm glad if you guys have read a heck of this chapter. It wasn't supposed to be that long, but I did extend some parts and put in the credit scenes and then, they were kind of different from my original plan for the final chapter so I had to recheck it many times. So for the fans of my story, I'm sorry if this chapter takes really long to come out.**

 **So this story ends, yeah. I'd like to know how do you like Amanda and Milo's moments? How well I put out the time-travel shenanigans? How much emotions have I given to you? If you have any thoughts, review and thanks for reading! ^^  
**

 **And by the way, the story ends, but it will be continued as a sequel. Things that don't get solved (like the final scene) and some small-role characters will indeed have an important role in the next story this year. Not promising anything because I haven't got a touch on it yet. But it will be something fresh, not Milo and Amanda centered (although they will be having a trip to Arizona and the sequel will definitely fit that in). A new character will be focused on, and I have dropped clues in the very final scene, so hopefully you can figure 'her' out!**

 **Thanks for sticking with me and the story for more than a year. I have many plans for my fanfiction account. That's all I can say, and I'll see you, in the next adventure from me! - Tugiacat ^^**


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